the child
has changed
divorce affects everyone
he's more quiet
subdued
lost
in his own world
but
the tears are harder
to console as well
he gets hurt easily
upset often
rarely smiles
the joyful laughter
of childhood
the dolphin sound
is gone
uncle danny
has a new dog
a small black and white
female puppy
oreo
it is so attached to him
it cries when danny leaves
i have to calm it down
it licks his toes
and face
and chases the child
to do the same
good times again
the child likes
music
to sing
play with cars and trucks
use the water hose
fill up buckets and a pool
sprinklers
roof-vent fans
to push a car
ride a bike
color with chalk and crayon
dig dirt
watch tv
eat
read
and more
the same as any other child
its strange
having a part-time dad
sometimes he points out
mommy and daddy on tv
i remind him
baby jaguar only has a mommy
sometimes he says
mommy and daddy
in succession
when we are together
briefly for the exchange
of the child
he remembers
being a family
and longs to have it again
this hurts so much
i am unable to sleep
or get any rest
a psychological break
from this lost
i've had other major changes
mom leaving home when i was 11
me leaving guyana and a girlfriend at 15
losing another girlfriend after seven years at 28
and a wife after fourteen years at 45
each situation was different
but i was floored the same
it took two years
each time
to recover
but recover i did
and recover i will
there will be more changes
losses to bear
i remain flexible
open to change
otherwise
one gets trapped in the past
and becomes unwilling to change
caught
in endless conflict
in endless thought
