Habits of An Aged Couple

When I say don’t go
I mean leave already.
When I say already
I mean why are you still here,
not moving on, moving along,
gone.

When I say gone
I mean out of my life;
when I say life, I wonder
what it will be like without you
hovering over me year after year,
dictating who what where and when
as I ask
why.

When I ask why
I’m curious about why you feel
the need to direct my every move,
every thought, every conviction
and then I realize it’s control.
When I say control, I mean
manipulation.
When I say manipulation, I mean you
trying to take over my life because you
don’t have one of your own.

When I say your own, I mean to mind
your own business, create a happy place
for yourself that doesn’t include
managing me. When I say me,
I mean me,
why can’t I make decisions, take life
by the reins and ride on alone.
When I say alone, I mean I don’t want
to be lonely, don’t want to face
every day bitter with regret, this habit
of arguing over nothing. When I say
nothing,
you say something. When I say I’ll go,
I mean you’ll go. When I say go,
I mean why did you leave me.

When I say me, I mean you.

~ J R Turek
June 26, 2021 Hour 5