Dear mom and dad,
Thanks for waiting
Until I was “grown”
To get divorced
Not that it was easy
To watch my family implode
Like some distant star
Spiraling toward the horizon
And its inevitable demise
I’m thankful I avoided the carnage
Of being stretched to despair
So you could move on and do
What was “best” for you
No shuttling between houses
Yet never being home
On a schedule that
Few adults could manage
Or better yet, endure
No wondering if gifts were
Given in love
Or as rival acts of one-upmanship
No pretending not to hear the
Whispered warfare
Or the insinuations from the
Unseen member of a phone conversation
I’m so grateful I avoided the
Innumerable counseling sessions
To explore my feelings
While ultimately being manipulated
To believe
That things are better “this way”
I can’t say I’m happy
About the way our family
Turned out, but
Thanks for waiting
