Someone Else

I felt no shame, just emptiness. You left
Complaining that I didn’t make things right,
A folly I absorbed for weeks, then light
Began to dawn: I needn’t feel bereft,
My life in ruins, my open heart cleft.
You wanted someone else. It was a slight,
Not criticism. Your disdain that night
Was only empty braggadocio, theft.

Don’t blame me for your own deficiencies.
A woman who pretends that true love dies,
Admits impediments to summer skies
And honest hearts, has fear and a deep freeze
In her attractive breast. Your calumnies
Define your soul, a revelry of lies.