In one house,
love meant freedom.
A table with open chairs,
questions welcomed,
mistakes forgiven,
truth spoken—even when it shook the room.
You could fall,
and still be called son.
You could rise,
and not be envied.
In the other house,
love meant performance.
Silence kept the peace.
Disagreement was disloyalty.
The louder one always won,
and the quiet ones learned to vanish.
There was no room for falling—
only fear of being seen doing it.
Love was earned,
then questioned,
then withheld.
I didn’t understand
why my kindness made her nervous,
why joy felt like suspicion,
why she shrank
when we tried to give her more.
Now I see it.
Her house called survival love.
Mine called truth love.
And when the two met—
we mistook trauma for mystery,
healing for control.
She wanted a love
that didn’t ask questions.
I offered one that did.
She thought mine was judgment.
I thought hers was shallow.
But we were just two children
raised in different languages,
trying to say “home”
in accents the other didn’t understand.
And maybe that’s the saddest part—
We didn’t fail because we didn’t care.
We failed
because we called two different things
love.
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Author:
Sigmund Gilbert (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: May 23rd, 2025 03:54
- Comment from author about the poem: “Two Houses, Two Loves” is a raw reflection on how love is learned—and how differently it can be taught. It contrasts the warmth of an open, grace-filled upbringing with the coldness of a home built on control, performance, and silence. This piece explores the quiet ache of trying to build a future with someone who never learned how to live from the heart, only how to survive through appearances. It’s about the ache of misalignment, the pain of misunderstanding, and the sobering truth that not all love is built on the same foundation. One home raised a heart. The other raised a shield. And when those two try to love each other… one gives, the other guards.
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Comments4
This is one of the greatest poems I’ve read, thank you for this.
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Is it odd it’s from a man’s perspective? And my home was the living and accepting one??
Art
Very nicely crafted with a wise concept of how definitions vary and lead to conflict. The metaphor of language was particularly well done for words meaning misunderstanding occur. This is a deep write and a fave
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Sakes alive this is an incredible poem. Absolutely faved
A wonderful write, variations of how people's understanding can differ and potentially lead to conflict, beautifully crafted and deep write, enjoyed the read
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