20151006 (marital discord)

They never hit each other as far

As I knew mom never fell down

The stairs had bruises on her face

Yet I’d heard even as a bug

Such things happened in some 

Houses don’t know if it ever

Happened with my aunts 

Uncles if they spoke about

Personal stuff they switched to

Polish which none of us knew

When they did their demeanor

Would just as often be playful

As dire it was only at funerals

You heard it’s good she’s gone 

He’ll have nobody to beat

Any more when he’s drunk

For me they were describing

A different world my dad would

Yell slam the door go out

For a smoke that’s all

That happened I never got the 

Sense they were doing anything

More than disagreeing 

There were lots of tears

But every night they crawled

Into the same double bed how

Things resolved I’ll never know

As years went on shows of affection

Were few far between mostly

For the sake of relatives

Neighbors I didn’t see gentle 

Hands on shoulders little 

Loving touches as one passed by 

Had they not been devout

Catholics they might have

Considered divorce things

Got so bad sometimes but it

Was out of the picture more than 

Once mom threatened to jump

From a moving car we had no

Seat belts when my dad got 

Depressed which was often

At first he stayed with a cousin

On some farm out of the county

Later he would be hospitalized

Receive ECT for a couple of weeks

Then came a heart attack findings

Of colon cancer I think for the

Last years he complained his

Meds wiped him out she dutiful 

Wife provided his care unstintingly 

But I didn’t sense the affection

Of a devoted spouse somewhere

In there they’d made their peace

With me I’d moved out married

When my mom failed from three

Strokes in three weeks it was just

As well I haven’t cried over either

Death my dad had suffered enough

He died peacefully if the pain meds

Worked my mom probably had no 

Idea what hit her after the second

Stroke no tears there either we

All were relieved a friend once

Thinking to give me advice 

Shocked me when he said I

Should intimidate her

Meaning my wife how crazy

I said to abuse the woman

I loved and married for some 

Cheap advantage my parents

Were no model marrieds but

Somehow in that endless strife

I learned not to be false and hurtful

c. J.S.Manista, 2015