DL Tolleson.com

Publication History: Yield © Copyright 2001 by DL Tolleson. All Rights Reserved. Excerpts from this work are permissible if author attribution is included. However, beyond this no part of this material may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission from the author.

Tolleson, DL. “Yield.”
DLTolleson.com, 2009.
http://www.dltolleson.com/poetry/yield.php.

Tolleson, DL. “Yield.”
TheLighthousePress.com, 2016.
http://www.thelighthousepress.com/dltolleson.com/poetry/yield.php.

Description: Poetry—208 words.

Commentary: I’ve been down the pre-marital (the “pre-right?”) relationship road a few times. Sometimes a person just has to let go or more difficult still, push away the other person. This can be an act of utter selfishness, self-preservation, or in the interest of the other person. It is this last possibility about which the poem Yeild was written.

We’ve all heard the trite phrases, “It’s not you, it’s me,” and, “You deserve someone better.” Generally speaking, those are typically cop-outs or a means to placate feelings. But in some rare cases those phrases each represent a cold and frank analysis of one’s limitations.

The question is not always whether a relationship can endure, but rather should it endure? Is it right for both people? Is there a transgression without contrition that is “holding back” the innocent person (or even the transgressor)? I speak not of marital couples here, because matrimonial vows are more than contractual agreements. Rather, I speak of couples who might be a mere step short of matrimony.

We all have spiritual components to our existence, but there are those among us who are attuned to their spiritual gifts and responsibilities. These are people who should not be held back by a relationship that is unequal in terms of “spirituality.” It is far better and more loving to set free someone than it is to be a spiritual albatross around that person’s neck (metaphorically speaking). Yes, sometimes the ‘”weaker” person may need, deserve or want a helping-hand to “step-up” and be a spiritual equal or near equal (but that’s an entirely different matter.)

The concern of the poem Yield, however, is “letting go.” It is at once an epistle of effort and contrition as well as an ode to sacrifice. There are people who would argue that if you love another you will do all that is necessary to accommodate and remain with that person. That’s fine as far as it goes, but it often goes much further and Yield addresses the extra distance unseen—especially when it concerns couples who do not belong together.

—DL Tolleson