Et Tu, Brutes?

Have you ever known anyone to
come down off their high horse to
greet you
when you’re
in the mud?

Or to, stop
for even one
nanosecond to
disengage from their
routine agenda or
lies to
Look you in the eyes and
Reach out their hand?

Have you ever known anyone who
was there
the moment you
were down?

Even from foreign soil, tongue or town
even without sound saw somehow
you were really down?

And so decided
without a second thought
not to
take the shot and
instead to
Reach out his hand?

Have you ever known anyone
who saw you melting in tears
and was not scared away
who saw you
grasping at straws
and still somehow
refrained from
slipping away?

Did you have a mother who stood strong
and a father who played long
were you of that lucky sort of duck
who
Left it to Beaver
before
Gilligan’s Island came along?

I did once and now
still I
thank all my lucky stars I
had the uncommon sense to
marry him
because somehow I knew
how very rare that is
to sing along
in such a sad slow song