Understanding Better Now

Understanding better now,
Who you are,
Does not negate
The love or the pain.

Understanding better now
Your addiction
And my addiction
Does not negate
The waste
Of time
Lives
Or lies

It does not remove me from you
Or you from me
In anyway that is tangible
Beyond physical distance
Or emotional motivation

Understanding my own pain
Does not make the sting of you lessen,
More bitter, perhaps,
And consequently better

Understanding you does not remove the stain
Our love placed
In my brain,
On my arm,
Beneath my calf
Around my waist
Or near my vagina.

It does not help my walk to be softer
It does not help my breath to be longer
It does not
It, does Naught.

It does not make the road
To self forgiveness
Shorter
It does not
It does not
It, does naught.

It does not erase
The love
It does not erase the love
It does not erase

It does nothing to erase
What I know of you
Or me

Yet, mercifully, lengthens the arm
Needed to love
You in a perspective
That is safe

Yes, lengthens the arm needed to hold you in
Perspective.

II