when i didn't know you

when i didn't know you
there was a constant wonder
of what might be
gazing out windows
with a sureness
unknown even to me

when i didn't know you
i didn't know love
lost in common faces
representations
of ideal lives
in everyday places

when i didn't know you
the whole grew deeper
dividing truth and lies
left to find
the one part of me
that never dies

when i didn't know you
i was missing the best part of me.

a quiet bully

There's a line he crosses
always
moving forward
into my space
as if he owns it
three years since the end
of our vows
and still
he pushes -
a quiet bully

i'm learning
to keep the
stop signs handy.