The Other Woman Poem by Angela Bontle Ditumiso

3pm, a call comes through
She tells me she's been reading the messages we exchanged
She says, "I can tell you really love this man, my man"
Your man?
No, it can't be
He told me I'm his forever
Told me he loves me
She tells me, "I'm the one with ring on the finger
I'm the one who he comes home to"

World crashes on my chest
It gets hard to breathe
This can't be happening
He said he loves me
He promised me a future together

Head full of mist
I wonder
If it was ever love
Was I "the night with the boys"
Or a "long day at the office"
What excuse did he give
Every time he was with me

All those dreams of the future
The long strolls by the riverbank
The explosive laughter
And the tingling joy
Were a waste of time
I was just the other woman
And I love him