We’re Just Taking Turns, You and I

What have we been doing, all this time, but taking turns?

We take turns lying down during the day. We take turns getting up at night.

We take turns washing dishes, washing clothes, washing children, washing tears off our faces, wishing we could wash the pain right out of the past.

We take turns going to therapy, take turns taking a break, take turns going places with the kids that can go places and staying home with the one that cannot.

We take turns losing our tempers at ourselves, at our kids, at each other. We take turns hurting each other and then we take turns trying to fix what we broke.

We take turns despairing. We take turns being sort of okay and knowing that we really aren’t. We take turns holding and being the one that needs to be held.

We take turns wondering if our love will be strong enough to carry us through. We take turns knowing it won’t be, but remembering that there is another’s love that is.

We take turns praying.

We take turns hoping.

We take turns finding the courage to reach out a hand to the other and say, come, walk with me.