You came into my life when we were so very young
The words, “I love you” came easily off our tongues
By the looks of you it was easy to see how others
Might see you as rough and basic of thought
When, really, kindness and caring is what you brought
You were not only you but, in some sense, me too
For you protected parts of me that were in hiding
From a world in which I was desperately cowering
Both our childhoods were blistered by poison-wood
So we loved our children carefully as they grew to adulthood
34 years had passed by, as they say, in a blink of an eye
I had grown stronger but there was a sense of unease
Was there someone else I needed to please?
You set me free until all I needed was me
