Do you see the sadness
That’s hiding behind my eyes?
The pain that I carry
The weight that’s heavy on my soul

Do you sense the burdens
That so many have placed on me
Do you feel how spent I am
What is it you think you see?

Every day they need me
To be strong for them
Every day they bleed me
Or do they feed me, instead

Life is so complex
And needs are an intricate mess
Where do they end and I begin?
I’m not sure I’m doing my best

Each day I press on
And do what they need from me
Each day I’m closer to death
And in that space I’ll breathe

Some burdens I embrace
My beautiful children four
Other weights I’d discharge
The ex I showed the door

The career that used to hold me up
No longer holds such sway
I will continue as long I must
Until that far off imagined day

Do I hold on just for them?
If I let go would they succumb?
I used to know these answers
But now I feel so numb

I suppose for them I’m alive
They motivate me to survive
But as I pivot to the empty nest
I hope I’ll learn to thrive

All these years and all this time
I thought I was teaching them to fly
But life is so much more sublime
Turns out they were teaching me the why

Somewhere in between
The novelty and the comfort
The feeling may arise

Before complacency arrives
Or boredom finds its root
Lies the space
Where love can grow

It’s not a guarantee
And can quickly be pushed away
Or spoiled and corrupted
Confused with something else

When novelty is present
Often mistaken for chemistry or lust
When complacency has arrived
It may feel heavy with obligation

Somewhere in between
This precious thing is found
In the space away
From the stimulation and excitement

Lies the space to breathe
The space to feel
And then the space to know
Is this person worthy of the gift I wish to give

Love is a verb
Often confused for a feeling
Love is a gift
It’s a decision made in the gap

In the space we draw breath
Where we know without doubt
The gift is one we’re ready to bestow
The feeling that arises is the desire to love

The space away from the person
We’re growing closer to
Is where we understand the depth of our emotions
And where we fall in love

Without the space, the budding relationship is buoyed up by things that don’t prevail
Passion, novelty, curiosity
Once those fade, without space, the relationship and the desire to love will diminish and over time be doomed