The Man I Love

Heartfelt words for the love of my life.

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband and loving father to our children!

The Man I love

He's an obstinate perfectionist
But he's not perfect
Then again, neither am I
So it matters little to me
That his flaws exist
'Cos that's the way he is

He's an unsung hero
Silently working behind the scenes
To make others shine
While they unabashedly accept credit
For his understated brilliance
For work that's not even their own

He's determined, proud and strong
That's what others see
In truth he's created an armour
An illusion to deceive
To cloak his vulnerability
His heart of pure gold

His sacrifices usually go unnoticed
His actions often misunderstood
I sense his disappointment
His heartfelt dejection
Of being betrayed
When best intentions are mistaken

It angers me to the core
When others take him for granted
Foist upon him outrageous demands
Or unreasonable expectations
The grievous injustice of it all
But I can offer no solutions

Many times I wish
He'd cut himself some slack
He drives himself too hard
He gives himself too little
Often I try to tell him this
And I wonder if he ever listens

Despite my humble efforts
To stay understanding and supportive
I'm ashamed to say
I'm also responsible
For adding on to his burden
When I should be his pillar

I made my choice years ago
And I'm not backing out any time now
I acknowledge his vices
I embrace his virtues
He's no Mr Universe
But he means the world to me


Teo Yuan Ching
25 March 2012

Copyright © Teo Yuan Ching