Michael A. McGuire

Relationships 101

I

If only you hadn\'t...

...caught my eye or given me a 
second glance as I walked on by. 

Laughed at my jokes, no matter 
how lame; dined out, drank, traveled and
played \"lover\'s games\". 

Brought a gleam of hope to my weary Soul;
have I finally found someone new to 
learn and know?  

Felt alive and happy once again...as we 
kissed and made love...disappearing into 
each other\'s skin.    

\"Don\'t ever leave me\", clutching my 
shoulders...breathily whispering into my ear.  
\"Never\", I promised...words that would return 
to haunt me in the coming years. 

Blurred all the World\'s problems...Life\'s
struggles and fears.  I never felt so strong 
and safe as when you were near. 

II

Got caught up in arguments; at first trivial
and small; then the heavy blows came; bringing
down our protective walls.  

Words were spoken, cutting deep.

We both knew exactly where to hit after 
being together so long...exposing shameful 
memories and secrets...once thought too personal
and tragic for words was...so wrong. 

Trying to \"make it work\" made fools of us 
both; until a million miles away seemed much
too close.  

Everything in Life has a beginning, middle, 
and end.   Humans have a great fondness for 
\"newness\" over all else, without looking around
the bend.  

III

You have only yourself to blame if willing
to participate in Love\'s bittersweet Game. 

You\'ll never learn unless you try...a bird
who remains in the nest will never learn to 
fly. 

Sometimes I wish I hadn\'t taken a chance;
But if I never put myself out there to find 
romance...

then I would be..........