Inside/Outside
By Ruth Y. Nott
Copyright 2002
To me he says "What good is it?", or "What is it really worth?"
To the world he says, "Look what she's done!
She's my treasure here on earth!"
To me he says "They'll trash it. All your hard work done for naught!"
To the world he says, "They love it!
Look how hard for this she fought!"
To me he says, "You wrote that?" "No, you copied it!" he'd say.
To the world he says, "She wrote that!
I'm so proud of her today!"
Once we seemed the perfect match, this mean old man and me.
Yet, it only took a few short months his duplicity to see.
Instead of understanding and encouraging my endeavors,
his ridicule and accusations are the storms that I must weather.
All the things his father taught him all those many years ago,
he swears he doesn't do them, but he does, because I know!
He's so much like his father. The differences are few.
His words can bite or hurt or shame, no matter what you do.
I know the man behind the mask, my husband of many years,
a player on the stage of life, still running from his fears.
