The temperature had risen, there was tension in the air,
The words he spoke in anger still echoed everywhere...
She locked the door and went to bed but didn’t sleep a wink,
“What the hell is wrong with me” was all that she could think...

He used to call her ‘beautiful’, he made her feel his love,
She thought he was a gift to her sent down from up above...
Now the tears are streaming down her face, her eye is swollen shut,
Her arm is bruised and sore and her bottom lip is cut...

Hands down the most dramatic change ever needed to make the most profound impact awoke from helping beget the first offspring. An internal paradigm shift reshuffled priorities such that the helpless newborn necessitated immediate attention.
Whatever task held my attention at a given time, the cry of said progeny triggered and quickly trained an obligation to become a first responder of sorts.
Yes, I readily admit that at first blush selflessness grudgingly accepted, but quickly an avid enthusiasm became manifest.

Her jeans were as worn and faded,
As her once vibrant smile...
The years had been less than forgiving,
She had lived her life beneath a neon sign...

I could see the fiery passion,
Still hidden in those eyes...those eyes...
Her hand slipped easily into mine,
She spoke with a gentle calmness...

Ten years had flashed by in a single moment,
We were back to a simpler time...
When cares were few and dreams were plenty,
How long could we hold on to it, an hour...maybe two...

Here I stand
Where all great things collide
Upon the daylight’s bittersweet waning
The moon is now full for the second time this month
It is blue and massive and floats low in the horizon
This is the last full moon of summer
whose days now scatter to the shifting winds
like wildflower seeds who lie dormant
Waiting ever patiently
for their inevitable rebirth