Love Poem: You Opted
Irene Hammer Avatar
Written by: Irene Hammer

You Opted

You chose
To run, bike,
Swim, lift, work, wire—
Anything to avoid being with me.

You set me aside like tea or beer,
Once beloved, now
Not even a flicker in your conscience.

The birth of our daughter,
When you feared I might
Bleed out—
Forgotten, a ghost of a memory.

Like your dead father: “Goodbye, Dad,” and then
Stored
Away,
As if you could retrieve him whenever you wished.

But you don’t wish.

You move forward, onward, never looking back.
You march,
No reflection.

Your life,
Not mine, worth living.