"Daughter-in-law"

Independent and intelligent  
she offers him unlimited love—no strings attached  
she has no hidden agenda  
she’s guileless as she wades into the water  
unaware of currents that will toss her aside or pull her under  
instinctively, she fights against the undertow  
taps into her endless energy as she swims toward the farthest shore  
drawing him with her in her wake  
offering him firmer footing on the opposite bank  
Resourceful and resolute  
she opens her heart to him—believes in him  
she focuses on their life together   
she’s naïve as they begin to build a bridge  
believing they’ll be met half way, linking and reconnecting  
but flash flooding upstream destroys their efforts  
ripping away the incomplete structure, tearing away their progress  
sapping her strength and snapping his ties  
they cling together on the distant shore  
Unwavering and understanding  
she stands with him—unites her life with his  
she trusts his constancy  
she’s accepting of his assurances of calmer water ahead  
hope persuades her to test the river again  
but rapids downstream leave her cut and bruised  
cultivating a cynical disbelief in ever reaching the other side  
withdrawing protectively back to the river’s edge, she stands   
turning her back to the other shore forever  

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman