Mama’s Rules For A Long Marriage

Mama said, “If you want to keep a man, never let him go hungry.”

So I taught him how to cook in case he got the urge,
I offered him conversation and laughter instead of a meal.
I didn’t want him to salivate when he saw me coming
or begin to demand food when his belly rumbled.

He could seek me out when he had something to say,
when he needed my ear to help solve a problem,
share something he learned,
or to tell me about his work
as he prepared our meal at the end of the day.

Mama said, “Treat him like a super hero.”

"What is a super hero?" I wondered.

Instead I showed him appreciation for the work he did.
Hired out when it got too complex,
participated, when it was something we could do together,
never nagged, because he hated being nagged,
and forgot about it if we could live without it.

Mama said, “Never let him hit you.”

He'd better not hit me,
I want to be loved and cherished,
to be treated like a queen.

“Where is love in all your rules?” I asked her.

“Love is different for everyone
and you have to figure it out
if your marriage is going to last,” she said.