Seven Days

I mark the passage of time
Not as a continuous stream
Of days or weeks or months
But as an on again, off again
Series of days
A binary system
Zeros and ones
Where I am either
With you or without you
Seven days where my world is bright
Followed by seven of darkness
I know you don't understand this
You don't always see the joy
When I'm tired from a day at work
Or I'm telling you to do something
You don't want to do
Like pick up your toys
Or hang up your clothes
But you are the light in my life
The reason I struggle to do what I love
The reason I create
To show you it's okay
To follow your dreams
Follow your heart
So, after I smile and wave goodbye
Calling out last I love you's
As you leave with your dad
A dark, heavy curtain comes down around me
And the counting begins again
Seven days to go...