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Tough Love

Tough Love

he thinks

shooting doves

will make it

what it was …

better

and he’s mad

we ain’t coming

and won’t take no

knows what buttons

to press

blames his buddy’s wife

for his buddy’s absence

all along

yeah, what’s new

hard headed

and whinier

than any woman

he’ll tell ‘ya

all day

why his life’s

thatta way

he didn’t come

from money

bases were loaded

and he dropped

the ball … for her

and he thinks

that big ‘ole house

he bought

on all that land

makes her happy

makes his boys happy

makes him happy

but happy shouldn’t

be this hard

can’t tell him nothing

though

end of that bottle …

no, it ain’t gonna bring

your daddy back

ain’t gonna hold your family

tight at night

ain’t gonna take that hurt

you’ve been holding

outta here

ain’t gonna make-up for a childhood

that wasn’t your fault

people kill themselves

in myriad ways

quick and clean

slow and muddy

and it ain’t nobody

who can put you back

together

but the one

who tore you apart

TL

Published inTamiko Lowery