Sifting Through the Ashes

Their relationship was over
And he was left
Trying to figure out
What went wrong.
As time passed,
He began to unravel
Some of the mystery.
They had talked,
In fact they had great conversations
When they first started,
Or at least that is the way
They occurred to him.
He loved telling her about
All his frustrations,
His fears and challenges,
And enjoyed her soothing way
Of comforting him.
It had become a routine
For him to come home each evening
And express his troubles.
He had no idea
What the cost would ultimately be
Of the continuous dumping
Of his problems on her.
He had painted a picture of himself
In her mind over time
As someone weak and powerless
Against circumstances,
Clearly not the man
She thought she had married.
In her disillusionment
The distance between them grew
Until they were
Irrevocably separated.