Jackie Kennedy

Jackie Kennedy told her new sister-in-law
"Don't worry. Every man cheats."
We must simply keep our chins high
and remember our place.

But Walt Disney taught that if a woman 
is pure, and chaste, and obedient,
her reward would be a handsome prince
and a castle. But that's where the story ends.

My mother taught me, "If he ever hits you,
You leave him immediately. She never
said I could leave if the punches were with
words, so I stayed to honor my vow.

My grandmother taught me that loose
women wore bikinis and that the worst
thing she could think of was to what lengths a woman
had to do in order to wear it without showing
any hair. That was the most deplorable to her!

Other women friends share that having a secret 
credit card account is the best thing they've ever
done. They have to keep up with the mail to
support their deception, but hey! It saves the marriage.

My sister's grandmother-in-law told me that 
women must sacrifice everything to keep the 
marriage in tact for the sake of the children. I
didn't have the heart to ask, "But he doesn't
want to stay, so now what?"

I teach my son to forgive because that is 
the only way to free oneself from bondage,
yet my own home is a prison of fear that 
I create from the shadows of my painful
past--coupled with the injustice of a
husband's deafened ear to equality
and his walled-up heart preserved only
for his little princess.

My son says, "I don't ever want to be
a jerk dad or a jerk husband."

Last Day to Live, Revised

When the blood clot
rose to my lung,
the doctor said,
"Go to the ER now!"
I asked,
"Can't I just go in Monday?"

After being admitted
into the hospital to
thin my blood,
three weeks of
self-administered shots
to the stomach
followed. I
decided I'd rather
die
than keep doing that!

Death, an option?
Score!
I'd gladly go today,
but first,
let me write a few
thank you emails.

I would thank the
Jennifers for all of the laughs,
and loving me through the
drama of teenage-dom!

Thank you to Karen, TC and Patrice
for listening when I'm sure
you didn't want to.

Thanks to all of the dancers,
big, tall, small, and cute,
who brightened each dance
practice with music and
rhythm.

Hvala Lepa, ljudmi
v Sloveniji, za Bridget,
Allison, and Zorica, za
ljubezen, ki ste mi jo delili.

Thank you to Kim
for watching my son
through the divorce years,
and thank you to my parents
for teaching and nurturing me
in the ways of the Lord.

Thank you to my husband,
who saved me from the living
Demon who afflicted me for so long,
and then brought light into my heart
which had been darkened.

And to my son, who bore every
burden with me in the names
of loyalty and love without
failing.

My Wish

I wish
my husband
would wrap me
in his arms
And kiss away
my fears that
are locked up 
in my tears;
But he just says,
"I can't
help you
with that."