One Forever

by Frank Zahn

We promised one forever
when we were young and pure
and filled with hopes and dreams
of home and family and sharing
and the best that we could be.

But when life's realities
bred tension and anger,
you complained and nagged,
and I complained and yelled.
Tension and anger grew
and exploded into rage,
after which came sorrow,
forgiveness, and try again.

In each successive cycle,
we became more abusive,
you in your way, and I in mine,
and as time slipped away,
we destroyed our hopes and dreams
of home and family and sharing
and the best that we could be.
You blamed me, and I blamed you,
and when there was no resolve,
we parted painfully with malice.

As I reflect on those years
and regret my complicity,
one thought consoles me:
We kept our promise of one forever
with the births of our two children,
and together in those gentle souls,
we are the best that we could be.

Copyright © 1995 Frank Zahn. Published in The Poet’s Pen, Fall 1996; Artword Quarterly, Number 20 Spring 2000; Alive with Thoughts and Feelings: Prose and Other Poetry Vancouver Books (Hardcover Edition) 2009; Perceptions: Prose and Other Poetry, Grove 49 eBooks (Kindle Edition) 2016.

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