Momma’s apple pie
A stern lecture from Father
Brother’s bloody nose.

Bars on the windows
The sign says, “Beware of dog”
The front door light’s on.

I can always come –
beaten, broken, weary, damned –
and find salvation.

The pretty poison
that we swallow willingly
to forget the pain.

I wish I could say
I knew something about this…
We’re…complicated.

Love isn’t easy.
No one said it would be, but
I’ll always choose you.

Yes, I’m hard to love,
and harder still to live with.
Thank you for staying.

You must earn my love.
Through trials and tribulations,
you will be tested.

I knew I loved you
from the very first moment
I laid eyes on you.

There are many names,
and it wears many faces,
but the heart’s the same.