the man cave

he built a wing to the house that they bought
together,
because he needs space but he has no way to
get away,
now that she & the kids are a permanent
fixture,
now that the job & the house payments,
the taxes, the diapers, the sleepless nights &
the overwhelming
stress
of a life settled for,
have filled his world---
he stuffs his wing with
creature comforts,
the things that she deems childish or
she simply has no interest in---
he’s got everything from a special refrigerator
for his favorite brew, to a big screen tv. for his
xbox---
he’s fully equipped &
when his friends come over for the big game,
he leaves the kids & the wife in the house &
they all flood the man cave
for a itty bitty piece of happiness &
had they not forgotten to turn their cell phones off,
each of them could spend as long as they wanted there,
like big boys who still had a crumb of
individuality,
but alas,
as the calls begin to come in,
each domesticated man is picked off
one by one &
the misery of
middle-age-&-married-with-kids
hits him like a
brass knuckle fist---
he’s played his roll,
propagating the species &
will live out the rest of his days
pretending he knows what it feels like to be
free.