Broken Marriage

I watched as a young married couple broke up
And went their separate ways
They had a young baby
I often wondered which parent became
The sole responsibility to raise this child
The young lady left an empty wine glass
Sitting on the back patio table
All winter I passed by their empty home
And watched as the leaves dropped in the Fall
Filling the glass and covering the table
The winter storms came
The blinding snow
And the empty glass remained intact
Spring arrived, and blossoms were beginning to erupt
And birds were mating
Everything was coming alive
After such a long winter
Today I passed by their house again
And, noticed the wine glass still
In the same spot where the young lady
Had placed her final grasp on married life
I noticed that someone had placed a baby swing
Out for the garbage
I wondered about the baby
Where was it now
Was it happy
Was the young lady happy
And what of the young man
Has he gone his own way
Making a new life for himself
And what of her
What forward move has she made
And the baby
What about the baby
Left to be raised by one parent
Missing the other
It will know no different
It will be like so many others out there
Being raised by a single parent
A parent too tired to give the love
And attention it so desires
Why do young people marry
And then go their separate ways
Walking away from responsibility way too soon
They take no time to sit and talk
They just move on
Leaving an empty wine glass
A baby swing
A broken heart
And I wonder if their life
Would ever be the same
Would the baby ever get to really know
The other parent
The stranger that visits every so often
Will they ever bond
Ever

Gail Adams May 9 2011