Cuckold

Where is she now
Where was she then
And where am I
In doubt again.

The house is cold
But the children smile
Ignorant of all
At least for a while

Will they ever ask
Will they ever see
They can never know
What she's done to me

They're my best friends.
But it isn’t their part
to know what it is
tearing father apart

So I smile too
The pain is veiled
They are happy
In this I’ve not failed.

We play and we laugh
In their cheer I dismiss
the desolation inside
and the tainted bliss.

I can feign happiness
I can do this well
For them I'll do anything
I can endure this hell

They'll grow strong
They'll grow sure
In trade for my pain
they will endure.

(incidentally, this poem is not autobiographical)