The Better Half

 

 

“Give my regards

To the better half.”

When someone tells me that

It makes me laugh.

 

I heard it today

Now hear my response

For I had to address it

There and at once.

 

Marriage is fifty-fifty

This was his bent,

Of course, he was saying

Each is fifty percent.

 

My spouse is not a half

And neither am I,

We both bring 100 percent

To the marriage pie.

 

When we became one

This meant everything,

It is all of her and all of me-

100% we both bring.

 

We are in this union

To give our optimum

And anything less than this

Will cause a problem.

 

 

This ‘better-half’ term

Is never the man,

It’s the woman that’s better-

Understand this, fam.

 

It is usually a man

That will use this term

So, this admonition is to men,

We’ve much to learn.

 

 

In any marital union

It must be 100 percent,

Neither partner is better-

Reject that bent!

 

Treat the other as equal

With love and respect

And this better half notion

You must reject.

 

Give one 100 percent

And marriage will work,

Fifty percent is not enough

And will only hurt.

 

 

Next time someone asks

How’s the better half,

Don’t even bother to answer,

Just simply laugh.

 

They’ll think you’re mad

But it is really they,

Just enlighten their darkness

And point the way.

 

Stewart Russell © December 27, 2023

 

Of Heads and Bosses

 

 

The man is the head of the home

But that doesn’t make him boss,

If there are any bosses in the home

That home is experiencing loss.

 

The man is head of the woman

Even as Jesus is head of the Church,

But this has been misinterpreted

By many a so-called expert.

 

“He can’t be no head over me,

He must first earn it.”

Yes, that is coming from a Christian,

That is her edict.

 

 

The headship of the woman

Is not what a man can merit

But that authority comes from Almighty God

Who takes all the credit.

 

“I am the boss in here

And I can do whatever I like.”

Yes, that too is coming from a Christian

But he has no such right.

 

Search the Bible all through

And you won’t find the word boss,

Some may argue not the actual word

But in that too they have lost.

 

There is no boss in the family

And being boss doesn’t make a man,

And in any case as we have seen

Boss is not akin to God’s plan.

 

 

Male and female he made them both

To walk with hand in hand,

He is the head to take care of her

And together they execute God’s plan.

 

That is, raising up godly seed-

The mission of them both

And filling the earth with the love of God

From coast to coast.

 

She was taken from his side

To walk alongside,

Never ahead of him or behind him

Or for him to despise.

 

No boss in the family

I must repeat,

Just a head as God designated

And the head’s helpmeet.

 

As a body without a head is useless

So is a head without a body,

And when a head becomes a boss

That’s the recipe for anarchy.

 

Stewart Russell © March 3, 2021

 

Unconditional Love The Woman and The Man

To love and to cherish

And to each other be honest

In sickness and health

This shall be our promise

For better or worse

Whether we’re rich or poor

Even when old age comes

Each other we’ll adore

We will work together

Always hand in hand

And whatever must be done

Together we will plan

We don’t need a list

That’s to determine who

We’ll just put our heads together

And do what we must do

We’ll bare one another’s burdens

And share each other’s joys

We’ll rejoice together

Whether we have girls or boys

And even if the pantry’s empty

Our hearts will still be full

For at least we have each other

And that’s reliable

One another we will serve

We’ll do this by taking turns

And whenever one is challenged

Together we will learn

Togetherness will be our theme

At the centre will be God

And faithful we will be

At home and abroad

Notice there is no list

We have no list to sign

Only to remember the vows we made

And to them we are resigned

Stewart Russell © February 2018

Conditional Love: The Man

Loving with conditions

That’s the in-thing today

Everything will be all right

As long as I have my way

Here are some conditions

To help you get my drift

To be fully aware

Check the following list

Don’t ask where I’m going

If I feel like I will say

Don’t ask where I went

On any given day

Prepare my meals on time

This is a serious one

As the keeper of the home

Be sure to wake before dawn

Wash and iron and clean

Always look your best

And some time before I arrive

Ensure you’ve had a rest

Make sure the pantry is full

Of all the things I need

And when I make a request

You must comply with speed

You are here to serve

That must be understood

I am the head of the home

I expect only what’s good

As long as these are done

I’ll love you with all my heart

And stay with you as vowed

Only in death will we part

Sign at the bottom of the list

To show you have read

Once these are kept in earnest

You’ll be glad that we got wed

Stewart Russell © February 2018