Feather Friends

I have spread my wings, oh, a couple of times
and flown to some marvelous nests.
I plucked out a few of my softest of feathers
and gave them away in a daze,
in return I received too a feather from each
which I put in my wings to replace.
Though birds of a feather do not last together,
sometimes into new nests they fly,
though inclement weather might linger forever,
to these feathers I’ll never say bye.
I do not like the word “ex”
for I find it abrasive and said with regret.
Just because a relationship ends
does not often mean that the person has expired
nor can you exit from the memory of them,
or expel them from the depths of your heart.
This “ex” of yours was someone you loved once,
if not still, and they will forever be a part of you.
Perhaps they taught you what it is that you love
or perhaps what it is that you despise in a lover,
but either way you likely learned something
and cannot now exist without having known them.
Why date them if you hate them,
why love if you’re above them?
These things you say when looking back
with hate in hindsight are a reflection of you, not of them.
For me, the people I’ve dated are lovely,
always were, I’m sure will be ‘til the end.
So, I will not refer to these loves as my “exes”,
but instead I shall call them feather friends.