Survivor Poem by Alexander Shaumyan

for Eric Hauptly

It's getting better and there's no denying
The bullshit I put up with and her lies
Are slowly diminishing and dying -
And I'm glad to know that I survived.

Some people are a bitter pill to swallow
When you begin to trust them with your love,
Only to find their affections hollow
And that your love is never good enough.

But they will reap one day what they have sown -
As they get tangled in their web of lies
Until they find that they are all alone
Because it's trust that makes true love alive.

Self-love and self-respect are cultivated
By recognizing love is not abuse,
That love is not about tolerating
Someone who's cheating and just hurting you.

So I am free to move to newer vistas,
To newer lovers, poems and new books -
And to my aging love - ¡Hasta la vista!
Your love is overrated like your looks.


April 11,2006