Avow

Marriage, children & accompanied death…
Arbitrary markers of life’s success.

The road most have traveled eluded me.
Slippery perhaps cuz I pruned my tree.

I removed all of the pendulous limbs.
The ones that threatened with dangerous whims.

Then took the sick ones who could not be helped.
The slime filled crumblers & cracked ones that yelped.

We’re here on the top branch, snug in our hole.
Now, our tree looks like a telephone pole.

I will not sire & I will not pair off.
No married folks asked give more smiles than scoffs.