The diamond has lost its sparkle.
The gold has lost its gleam.
My heart is hardened and cold,
like the metal of these rings.

Can I ever find love again?
Will I ever learn to trust again?
Dare I hold on to a hope for the future?

Standing over their sleeping forms.
Faces almost angelic in slumber.
I quietly turn and close the door, as the tears begin to fall, unchecked.

My soul cries out.
My resolve begins to waiver.
The strength I have struggled for begins to crumble.
How do I make things right for them?

The sound of a door slamming.
My body goes rigid.
Epithets and obscenities hurled,
the barbs sinking deep, finding their mark, and tearing away at my self-esteem.

I cringe,
trying to withdraw,
hoping that if I can successfully hide the barrage will end.

I wait.
Silence at last.
Reasoning prevails.
However uncertain the future may be,
it can be no worse than this present.

The diamond has lost its sparkle.
The gold has lost its gleam.
Slowly I close the door on this dark segment,
as I lock away these rings.

09/28/1999

Posted on 09/29/2001
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