Love Poem 40

There have been so many times when

my partner has absolutely saved my bacon.

More times than I can count,

than I care to count.

Sometimes it was something simple

like needing a ride somewhere,

and other times it was bigger,

maybe sorting out the police,

dealing with an ambulance,

or trying to talk me out of my own

bad decisions.

Other times my ass has been saved

by not giving me shit for a

bad decision

and knowing I would take care of beating myself up.

Sometimes, again, saving me looked like

giving me shit

when I could have avoided whatever situation

I found myself in.

Those are the parts

of love

that are often overlooked

because no one likes eating shit,

no one likes being wrong,

and no one likes being in a position where

they are on the flipside and need

to be brought back into the light.

Those parts of love aren’t very glamourous

and we don’t like talking about them because

they are moments of vulnerability or weakness.

No one ever wants to be seen as weak or to be weak,

and this isn’t to conflate vulnerability with weakness,

because one needs to be vulnerable at times,

and we are told to look at the vulnerability through a

lens of strength.

There are many times where I am vulnerable

because I am weak and there is no shame in admitting as much.

There are moments where

I have no strength in my arms

and there are moments where

my back threatens to break.

I can be vulnerable enough to admit that.

I am a weak person,

however, I am also a lucky man. I am lucky enough that

when I take my chips and throw them in the air with

no hope of catching them that someone will be there with me.

It is, as they say,

about knowing how to play.

Sometimes you call, sometimes you raise,

and sometimes you fold.

And if you are lucky enough to have someone to tell you how to

spot the difference, it might turn out okay.