Mistress Risk C

And so
we seem to be back to Square One
you and I

Except ...
You didn't come back willingly
And I, for love but not the old kind of love
Had the choice of whether to accept you

I chose to have you in the house
Living with me
But no longer part of me

It seemed strange at first,
Having a grown-up child to care for,
An extra mouth to feed
And an extra wage coming into the house

But I'm used to you now
And so are our children

They like to see their father
When you choose to spend time with your family
And I
enjoy your company too

But now I realise I need my own time alone
Not dictated by you

And I like to sleep alone
Not disturbed by you

Nor disturbing you

We are
In the old words
Living as parallel people

Like students sharing a house
But
Because I stayed
I now own more of it than you do

And because you didn't choose to leave her and come back
I now hold the power