You’re missing the part
where the kids are all
old
-er

Away. Working. Hanging Out.

You’re missing the part when you don’t need a babysitter
When there are hours of a quiet house

Hours.

Did we talk about this part?
Did we dream of it?
Or was that just me?

I shouldn’t write when I am sad
When we’ve texted
back and forth
back and forth
back and forth
about money
and how you can’t pay it

Of all the things that could be the
dregs
of whatever we were
money
really?

This could have been the
movie nights, date nights,
glasses of wine, talk in complete sentences nights
time of life

Instead it’s just the
hours of a quiet house
alone
time of life