Codependent Forevermore

September 26, 2017


no where to go

By Stephanie Darnell

I will love him more than I should,
Give him more benefit of the doubt
Than he deserves.

I will accept half-truths
As if they were whole,
Believing him, instead of my gut.

I will overlook discrepancies in his explanations.
I will cautiously walk on the eggshells
He keeps around himself.

I will forget who I am,
But remember his mother’s birthday,
Sign his name on a card, and mail it to her.

I will live a lie without even knowing it,
and I’ll wonder why I’m not happy
and why nobody has ever thanked me.


Occasionally a poem catches my attention. This one captures my heart. In five stanzas it also defines codependency — at least what it means to poet Stephanie Darnell and others.

No Small Love, Stephanie’s online gallery and shop, offers more of her creations, including a growing collection of greeting and note cards. While most of the cards speak to special occasions such as a daughter’s birthday, her gallery includes three sympathy cards that speak to grief with the same clarity and soul as her poem about codependency.

Stephanie’s poem and website don’t need a longer introduction. They speak for themselves.

Melody

From the desk of Melody Beattie
Originally posted 2010

The post Codependent Forevermore appeared first on Melody Beattie.


About the author

In addiction and recovery circles, Melody Beattie is a household name. She is the best-selling author of numerous books.

One of Melody's more recent titles is The Grief Club, which was published in 2006. This inspirational book gives the reader an inside look at the miraculous phenomenon that occurs after loss--the being welcomed into a new "club" of sorts, a circle of people who have lived through similar grief and pain, whether it be the loss of a child, a spouse, a career, or even one's youth.

For more information about Melody and her books, visit the author's official website