With This Pen

This pen.
The pen I purchased to fix my life,
the lives of my children.
A fine-tipped, smudge-proof, black Sharpie,
perfect for filling out forms,
affidavits.

With this pen
you and I destroy what we
swore would never end.
We break promises.
We break hearts.
We alter lives,
opening holes
that cannot be filled,
exacting wounds
that will not heal.

With this pen
I write away abuse.
I write in peace.
I exclude hostility, anger, and unfaithfulness.
I incorporate love and affirmation.

With this pen
I break my promise
as you have broken yours.
I build a hedge of protection
around our children
who don’t realize yet that they need it,
I introduce new pain that will bring
new healing and hope.