Wednesday, June 11, 2008

actually, you did promise me a rose garden


Aaah, relationships. You gotta love em. How sweetly we imagine our lives together. When its early days and our dreams are still blushing and we are still wrapped in promise like buds.

If, like me, you forget to get married, coz it's just not important and who needs a piece of paper anyway, there comes a day when the go-luckyhappy days suddenly smack you from behind and you think oh Shhhheeeeit, where did all the time go?

So you sort of airily propose to the boy during the news one evening and he says, oh, yeah, ok, organise it then.

When you've been through so damn much together including two unsuccessful break-ups that you've learned that the grass on this side is actually waaaayy greener than the grass over there.

When you've taught each other to love, to talk, to cook, to be grown ups, navigate without maps and find g-spots, e-spots, f-spots and picnic spots.

And now you finally have a veggie patch to call your own, and two cats in the yard.
Aah, how wild the future used to be. How we would travel, garden, strut and shop. How famous we would be. How our dreams would swell like cumulo-nimbus in the high-veld skies. And now you look at me and you think i want more. You think "its not enough for her." You think you've come short.

I wanted to write you a love letter. I wanted to tell you -
I never wanted the damn rose garden. I'm happy with the spinach, darling, and that handsome lavender at the front step.

8 comments:

A Mum said...

beautiful. I think that's beautiful.

tam said...

THANKYOU! That's very kind.

Chimera said...

When your love has passed the health and safety tests of life..maaan ...give it the kite mark! Sail that baby!
Lovely stuff.
T xxxxx

tam said...

Aah, thats a lovely image. some days we're like the kites we used to make out of heavy plastic and wire...clunking along behind us on the gravel. Some days we're like a very old landrover with a cough. it never stops being hard work. As the great Chris Rock said, only married people understand how you can be happy and miserable at the same time...

Miranda said...

Byadiful. Love it

family affairs said...

I'm loving all you African girlies that I have found because Janelle had a stomach bug and found me...you all write SO beautifully Lx

tam said...

thanks for the feedback everyone. I'm new to this blogging lark but see that it can be quite addictive, and its amazing to slowly and organically start feeling one's way into a whole new web. Yay! thanks family affairs.

Janelle said...

ah babes!! I LOVE THIS ONE!!! I LOVE IT. its so honest. so simple. so YOU so full of honesty and um, love actually! more more more in this genre. love and miss ya madly! XXX janelle