A fine line between the past and the present..

I have a past!..
I also have a present!
My present is new..
tentative..
slow...
and exciting!

My past is powerful..
involved..
complicated..
and important!

Sometimes
these worlds collide..
the line between them
so fragile.

The man I am getting to know...
has a past also.

The thing when you have children
is your past
is never left behind.
The relationship
always matters!
The connection
is always vital.

So I am finding
a new
stage of life..
is walking this tight rope,
between both worlds!

I made a mistake once..
I threw my past away
thinking it gave me a chance
at a future..
I promised
I would never do that
again..
and I shall not!

I also
have a promising present!
One that does not demand
changes
or ask for primary allegiance!

Above all..
I am learning,
or trying to learn..
how to live
within both the past and the present!
And how to accept and embrace the
same in another!

Learning....
How to define a new relationship
that does not cut out
the old..
how to create safety
for all...
because this matters!

It has always mattered..
I see what can happen when
couples that once 'were',
become enemies that 'are'..
I know how quickly something
seemingly small
can become something
very big..
and when there are kids
the ulitimate goal
is peace!
and so it matters!

And now,
I do not just seek it
in my own life
and past..
but am learning
to accept and understand it
in anothers life and past as well...

A fine line..
a tight rope..
walking without a net!
But, a fall worth taking
for the sake
of the kids,
and a past that once
defined forever!