when I say
I married my best friend
what I mean is
I married the woman who
saw the hurricane of my confusion
approaching her horizon
without warning
and she threw open her windows to let me in anyway
I married the woman who
let me vomit up my putrid self-hate at her feet
then handed me a glass of water
and some mouthwash
to help me forget about it and move on
I married the woman who
witnessed my obliteration and
let me ask for help when I was ready
in no rush to glue my pieces back together
before I figured out
which ones needed to be left behind
I married the woman who
understood what I meant when I said
I wanted to unravel my tangled mess of old dreams
until the thread could be used to
cross stitch a new life
of course
I married my best friend
who else could
love me so perfectly
I married my best friend [poem]
