The Other Woman

The Other Woman

You never wrote me love songs,
Like some men do to court a girl,
But instead told grand philosophies
That were fit to court the World.
But in my World I sought serenity,
Tranquility, and rest,
While you suffered Her every injury
And mourned Her constant death.
Her anguish was more important
Than my happiness ever was,
So you sang to Her, to comfort Her,
Hoping She’d return your love.
She was your muse, your life, your all
And the revelation was long coming
That your true love was the World
And I was just the other woman.
I must admit that jealousy
Made being second worse than last,
But I did not want to keep you
From Her grand and loving grasp.
So I wished you luck and love
And then I went my separate way,
Knowing when the World had tired of you
We’d meet again someday.
She beat you and tormented you,
And you loved Her more for it
While I watched you, sadly wincing
As I saw you take each hit.
But I continued my search
For the beauty and the peace
And I embraced them with the knowledge
That, like all things, they must cease.
And eventually I found my peace,
My calm and quiet rest,
In the beautiful predictability
Of a last and sought-for death.
And one day, as I lay here,
I saw you come to me,
Sad and worn and lonely
And finally wanting love from me.
Your true love had misused you
And now you had returned
To seek the peace that I had found
And learn the lessons I had learned.
But I am happy in my solitude.
I need no companionship from you.
But I will let you lay down next to me
And share the rest that you are due.
Your search may have left you lonely,
But my search let me be alone.
(Still, I hope you know that my love
was the truest love you’ve ever known.)
But only when my sorrow
Became the sorrow of the World
Did you seek me out again
And finally want me for your girl!
So now that we’re together
For one last and long embrace,
I have one piece of news for you
That should put you in your place.
Through all the tears together,
And all the years apart,
I realized I loved someone else
Right from the very start.
He promised me tranquility
While you gave me unrest,
And now He holds me closely
In my long and sought-for death.
So realize, as I did,
While we lay rotting, hand in hand,
That my true love was the Grave
And you were just the other man.