Afterthought

Photo by Kathy Copeland Padden

Sometimes I feel like an

Afterthought

Not worthy of a fraction of the love I freely give

Relegated to the role of peripheral Bit player

For someone who’s my

Main Character

But even though it’s more

Thoughtlessness than malice

More clueless than cruel

That’s a rationalization

Not a reason

And I’m tired of making excuses

For you

If I saved a tear every time

You broke my heart

Through the months, weeks, years, and decades

I’d need to buy flood insurance

And yet

I’m still irresistibly compelled

To embrace the familiar flame

When the lid blows off that ancient cauldron

Even if the heat’s only been on simmer

And I inevitably get burned again.