You’re sorry
That you do regret
But your eyes say
I’m justified
You deserved it
Cozying up to me
On a Sunday morning
With the little one
Still asleep
You pretend
Not to comprehend
Why I cannot
Bear your touch
How many times
Have we trekked
On this potholed road
In a lifetime
Filled with
Recurrent regret
More than
I can count
I’m ancient now
Too weak and tired
To endure
The battles
About long-standing
Differences and conflicts
Too enervated
To defend you
To others
To myself
And yet
We remain
With the familiar
Tucking away
Those feelings
Of outrage
Until we blow
Over nothing
A long marriage
Is not necessarily
A good one
I remind myself
So I swallow my resentment
And my pride
Writing indignant
Even cruel words
To you
In a text
That is
The only time
You actually
Hear me
But it
Doesn’t last
Like always
I pardon you
With the promise
Of good behavior
Though just
A little less
Each time
Than the
Time before
We return to
Old habits
Coursing along
Bumpy roads
In our rhythmic dance
Of outrage
