The destruction of our happy home
began when we opened the door to our marriage
and allowed deception and dishonesty
to creep in and become our houseguest
and now we have no other recourse
but divorce

The mortgage on forgiveness is late
apologies are months past due
our marriage is in foreclosure
and I'm praying for closure

If love is a house
then dishonesty is the wrecking ball
that destroyed our marriage
demolished our dream home
and left our relationship in rubble

On the day you served me divorce papers
it felt as if you nailed an eviction notice to my heart
you packed your belongings
walked out the front door
and now love don't live here anymore

Misery loves company
and evidently the company we both kept
overslept
We invited infidelity into our home
and misery moved in rent free

In our naiveté as newlyweds
we welcomed visitors
with ulterior motives into our home
who wanted to tear down our marriage

If only we had looked through our peep hole
perhaps we would've been able to recognize the evil people
who plotted to invade our happy home
perhaps we could have prevented them from staying overnight
and ransacking our relationship

I still replay scenes from our wedding day
we were so happy then as bride and groom
I remember carrying you through the threshold on our honeymoon
I remember how we made love for hours in every room

Everything in this house reminds me of you
the cast iron claw foot tub where I washed your back
the fur rug in front of the fireplace where we made love
the purple ottoman on which I painted your toenails
after treating you to a pedicure with peppermint oil
and pumice stone

Now I'm in our home all alone
our bedroom is now bare
this is where we once played hooky from work
called off sick and made love all day
the scent of your perfume still lingers in air
and the sounds of our love making still echo in the hallway

If these walls could speak
they would tell of a time when we once loved each other
they would remind us of weekends when we cuddled underneath the comforter
and cooked candlelit dinners
snuggled in front of the fireplace
while melting marshmallows
and drinking hot cocoa during cold winters

How quickly we went from happy newlyweds
to being miserable and married

Look at the damage we did to this house
and each other's hearts
leaving behind walls with punched holes
fragments of smashed dinner plates
sounds of front door slams
and greeting each other with hate filled stares

It's tragic how we slept in the same bed
but grew worlds apart
I guess sleeping with anger
makes it much easier for hatred to take residence in your heart

I expect no sympathy
the truth is that we both unwittingly welcomed sorrow
into our home
when we chose to cheat
while being married

So I close our crimson colored curtains
leave memories behind like unwanted possessions
pray that God forgives me for my transgressions
and pray for the day when
memories of our marriage
become faint recollections

I tried having a garage sale
to auction off our mementos
and memories
but the melancholy still remains
and I still feel inexplicable pain
when I stare at our wedding portrait in the picture frame
I'm moving out
my new address is 101 heartbreak
located on loveless lane

I'm trying hard to fight back the tears
because I know a man ain't supposed to cry
and I never wanted to air out our dirty laundry
but fuck it
there so many things that need to be said

I've got to leave this place
the carpet is wore
from me pacing the floor
I can hear suicidal thoughts
knocking on my minds door

But before I go
I'll leave a letter to the new occupants
with these words of wisdom:

Never cheat on the person you love
never sacrifice a lifetime of marital bliss
for a few nights of lust
because it only takes one lie
to destroy a lifetime of trust

Never build a house on a cracked foundation
because it's impossible to repair a relationship
once there is a lack of concrete communication

Most importantly
always be honest
don't keep skeletons in your closet
don’t come home late at night with false alibis
because there is no redemption value
for recycled lies

If you had the courage to walk down the wedding isle
you should be willing to walk to a marriage counselor and reconcile
promiscuity destroys the promise of lifelong wedlock
it locks you out of your home
and always remember
honest communication is the key

I'll place this letter on the mantle of the fireplace
where we once made love

I'll leave this home
without you ever knowing about the tears I wept
the regret of fornicating while you slept
the agony I felt while watching you walk down the front steps
without ever looking back

My bags are packed
mementos of our marriage
tucked in the back of my mind like a suitcase
I no longer desire to live in a place haunted by memories of a broken marriage

Your absence makes me realize that I loved you more than this mansion
and the only B word I should’ve ever called you was Beautiful
and I apologize for every tear that I every made you weep
and I regret soiling our sacred wedding vows by sleeping
underneath infidelities sheets

I only wish that we had prayed to God every night
perhaps then we could have built a spiritual bond
too strong for Satan to sever
I'll cherish the memories we made together
forever
and I doubt if I'll ever
be able to let another woman move into my heart again

Because you were my beloved wife
and when you served me divorce papers
it felt as if you nailed an eviction notice to my heart
love overstayed its welcome
made a quick exit out the front door
and now love...
love don’t live here
anymore!