Persona Non Grata

“He’s not the right man for you,”

Spoken to me with familial authority

“Only to be tolerated but never accepted,”

Declared as if they think they know.

Even though I’m accepted there’s

No trust in the truth I married;

His reputation as a strong husband and father,

Protecting his wife and sons with unwelcome defense,

Is a shunned certainty.

He’s the man I chose yet

He has been convicted a wretch.

Rejected by many, nurtured by two,

Our union boldly forced on others

Endures with unfaltering fidelity.