my parents taught me what love is

if love is hitting your wife and then wiping her blood away as you hold her in your arms saying you're sorry, if love is sleeping with another person whilst your wife is anxiously waiting for you at home, if love is yelling, if love is cursing, if love is violence, if love is watching your wife attempt suicide for the 3rd time after you've "tried your best to take it work", if love is working hard to provide for the family, so hard you fall in love w your co-worker, if love is leaving your children behind to sleep in another house with someone else's children, if love is telling your children how flawed their mother is, if love is giving up a beautiful home, a family, sleep in saturdays together, sunday morning breakfasts, singing your children to sleep,

if love is seeing my mother give up on me because she gave up on herself, if love is living across the world in another country, away from your kids, with a guy you've met for a few months, if love is worrying about getting married to your boyfriend when your son's taking medicine for his depression, if love is whatsapping to let me know when you're NOT coming back, if love is sending gifts when i told you you need to come home for us, if love is leaving your children behind when you know their father did the same, if love is telling a 17 year old to "hang in there for now" after leaving her to carry your weight on her shoulders,

i think I'll pass.