Your Home

It took many years
Blood sweat and tears
To fill this space
Grace it with lace
And paintings on the wall
Of every room and hall
Each chosen with loving care
Each a memory that you now share
With those who care to hear
The few who are now near
The children have come and gone
Like dewdrops on your lawn
Only their memories remain
To help you remain sane
Through all those lonely days
Full of shadows and grays
Of the man who ceased to roam
When you gave him this home.

Today he says it's his own
Because he took the loan
To buy the things you need
And hungry stomachs to feed
He now uses it like an inn
Seldom bothering to look within
Your heart so full of love
That coos to him like a dove
When you give him his morning tea
He does not bother to see
Beyond the newspaper he'll hold
And allow the cup to get cold
Then rushes out the door
In a bid to get you more
Of what he thinks you need
It makes your heart bleed.

You wait for him to come home
Will he ever cease to roam
The emptiness that dwells in you
Bathed in various hues of blue
Craving the crimson of passion
That you hide behind fashion
While casting furtive glances
And weighing your chances
Of warmth in a strangers embrace
Hoping for a moment to find a place
Where you can uninhibitedly let go
Let your emotions like a river flow
Now fantasies fill up your head
When you lie beside him in bed
Your body and soul craving for more
While you listen to your husband snore.

At times you wish to go away
Wondering whatever makes you stay
Is it the son who's now a man
Or still the old belief that you can
Make him see what you made for him
Though you know his sight is dim
Or the grandchild you wish to hold
Or maybe you think you are too old
To let other men into your life
Who'll treat you like a woman and not a wife.

~Sumaitri~

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