Things Weren't Adding Up

‘I love you’

I’ve heard that phrase a million bajillion times

I never understood why people like hearing it.

 

My best friend Roxy says it to her parents

But why would she want to say that?

They’re really nice to her.

 

I hear mommy and daddy say it all the time

They say it's a good thing

But I don't think so.

 

Mommy and daddy always say they are happy

But mommy’s always crying

And daddy’s always yelling at mommy

They’re always fighting.

 

My friends tell me about the radiostations they wake up to

But I couldn't relate

I wake up to arguments

About money, chores, and work.

 

If that’s what being married is like

I don’t want to be married.

Love doesn’t look fun.

 

When I started dating him

I was confused

Our relationship was nothing like mom and dad’s

And it didn't feel right.

 

I offered him my passwords

But he said he didn’t want them

I updated him on my whereabouts 24/7

But he said it wasn’t necessary.

 

One day he asked me why

I thought those things were mandatory in a relationship

I told him that’s how my parents were like.

 

Suddenly it clicked

I realized my parent’s relationship wasn’t normal

And that I shouldn’t have been using it as a model.

 

I wasn’t used to communication

Or trust or equality or respect or compassion or independence

But it felt nice...much nicer than my parents.

 

I guess marriage doesn’t sound so bad anymore.

 

This poem is about: 
My family

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