He Says

He told me,

“You could never be a wife,

let alone a mother.

What do you know?

I mean, look at how selfish you are.

“You don’t even wash your own clothes.

You need to know how to take care of yourself

take care of others…

you’ve never even had a father.

Wives talk

to their fathers

for advice, for support.

Anytime they don’t know what to do

that’s where good women go

to their fathers

for their wisdom.

“Your family doesn’t even have any men

and they never will.

“You don’t even know how to cook

now, you want to be a mother?

Sure, they say

some women

learn from cookbooks and

figure it out.

But those are the exceptions

and you are not.

“You’ve never

seen,

felt,

inhaled,

pure, unconditional love.

Mothers and wives have good families

families that are whole.

You don’t even have that.

You’ve never seen a wife and a husband,

a father and a mother,

so that you could

hear it,

feel it,

mimic it,

know it, by heart.

“They know what love is:

compromise,

hard work.

Most women just know stuff like that.

They can heal a man’s pain with their love.

You don’t know about love,

caring,

sacrifice.

“Look at your friends,

they’re married.

“That life

Is passing you by.

You’re busy

teaching,

writing,

thinking,

changing the world.

You don’t know what its going to take.

“No sweetie.

No man will ever stay with you

unless you change.

So put that dream down

and change the channel for me,

it’s time for Californication.”

Inspired by: Michelle Serros, "Annie Says"