There is a cold third person
Always present between you and him
You cut your fingers on the monthly bills
He’s cuts his teeth on your pain distilled
Drinking from the vine to pass the silence
Children in bed, he believes in your reliance
And you believed in him throughout the absence
Oil and canvas taking place of photographs
Telling stories to little ears of things they should have in their lives
The heart always beats harder in solitude
I think you’ll find you have the strength you need
That does not mean it doesn’t weaken the knees
You’ve been too long acting so strong
As your pillars turn to salt
There is a ghost of who she was
In between the whispers of “good” and “night”
In your ear’s mind you hear her voice
Telling him to turn the light