He reads the lines,
Says the words,
Deals the deals with men he'd have happily
Stabbed before.

All of this he does....
For her.

They don't see him look,
Never see his eyes narrow
As he remembers every slight they give her,
the whispered insults he *knows* she hears.

He keeps his temper........
For her.

He goes through the motions of living,
Smiles at jokes played
At his expense.
He never sleeps alone anymore,

He does it all........
For her.

Maybe one day she'll notice the way
The smile stops at his lips,
Or the sorrow that follows him like a
Dog with three legs,

He endures it all.......
For her.

Till then he says the lines,
Does the remembering for them both,
Keeps his temper while he seethes inside,
He stays for one reason......

Her.

Jo Johnson-Smith