Why do you stay with me?
He asked
In a voice wracked with pain
You know why
She replied
Though she could have asked
That question herself
In the seductive shadow of sleep
She sometimes wonders
Why she stays
When he rarely seeks her out
And needs her even less
When he won’t let her cross
The threshold
To that place free of
Have-to’s and fears
But between the lines
Behind three little words
Is the answer to his question
The truth lies there, a prism
In colors of intricate depth
She stays
Because to be close to him
In any way he’ll let her
Brings her moments of
Simple, perfect peace
In a life of chaos and strife
Because he’s teaching her
What it means
To accept someone
Completely
For everything they are
And everything they are not
Because he won’t lie to her
Because she can make him laugh
Because it’s okay in his presence
To say not a single
Word
Because she’s learning how
To trust
After having been betrayed
Because he tells her
She is one
Of only three people on earth
He can speak to
From brain to mouth
Which gives her courage
To reciprocate
To confide any thoughts she has
Even ones he might wish
She didn’t
Because in his arms
She understands freedom
And can’t imagine
Another man’s kiss
Because he’s hard
Rough
Gentle
Sweet
Bitter
Angry
Loveable
Tormented
Brilliant
Weak
Hopeless
Loving
Strong
Insecure
Hopeful
Imbalanced
Honest
Broken
Real
He makes her crazy
Yet he touches her
In places she needs to be touched
Where no one else can reach
Because with him
She’s a better person
Than she could ever be
Without
Because he’s
Her best friend
And one of these days
He might look at her
And see that she is his
And then
She won’t need to ask him
Why do you stay with me?
