On Second Thought

Love at first sight,
Romance,
A simple wedding,
Bliss,
A blended family,
Beautiful,
Some marital challenges,
Difficult,
Then a separation,
Uncomfortable,
Reconsidering love at first sight,
Ongoing.

Columbia Dreams

A master’s at Columbia,
A dream come true,
Calling New York City home,
Even better,
The capital of the world,
Could have stayed forever,
Then life happened,
Off to Sri Lanka,
Human rights work,
Three months turns into six months,
Six months turns into three years,
Back in the U.S.,
Not going anywhere in particular,
A fortuitous encounter on Conway Avenue,
A summer of romance,
You finally meet the one,
Genuine passion,
She comes with kids,
You aren’t sure about the kids,
Then you are very sure,
A family all of a the sudden,
Incredible,
Conflict,
Child custody litigation,
Other challenges,
Then a coronavirus separation,
It’s true what they say,
Columbia can open doors,
Just not all doors.

The Last Word

The older you got the more they scared you,
You had your mind made up about it,
You were quite sure,
Then you became less sure,
The shift happened quickly,
It seemed like the right idea at the time,
Those small humans,
With their energy and inhibition,
You got to know a couple,
Will you be my stepdad,
Yes,
Will you be my stepdad,
Yes,
At the time you didn’t understand how big it was,
Letting them into your heart,
The enormity of it all became clear quickly,
First you fall in love with her,
Then you fall in love with the kids,
They bend you and stretch you,
They share with you,
You share with them,
Getting to be a stepdad,
Who knew how special it would be,
And now that the kids are gone,
You know you’ll never be the same,
They don’t even know it,
Don’t even suspect it,
But those munchkins had the last word,
And they’ll always have your heart.