Too Much

Too Much

maybe
there's no more
to living
than some marriages
where vows
and a housewife
cooking and cleaning
for a husband
providing
a paycheck
is all
that's needed
and expected

maybe
there's no more to living
than being a parent
who understands
their role
as providing
food
clothing
shelter
then expecting 
a lifetime of love
in return

maybe
there's nothing more
to a happy life
than a happy marriage
of evening gossip
TV dinners
game shows
Reader's Digest
and church
on sundays

maybe
the problem with living
is expecting 
too much
from it
more than a wife
who cooks and cleans
a dutifully
husband
bringing home
a paycheck
and children
obliged
to love
for a lifetime

maybe
there's no more
to living
and our torment
is expecting
even needing
more
than a housewife
wanting little more
than her home
in this fall's fashions,
a husband's
paycheck
and a few
awkward
simulations
of love