sweet terms of endearment

in the beginning,

she called

me darling,

i called her sugar,

or kitty cat,

she called

me tiger, or

sweetie pie, i called

her honey bun,

or buttercup.

it went on like this

for years

and years,

with sweet terms

of endearment,

but in the end.

we called each other

by our complete

and formal names.

first middle and last,

as it read on the separation

agreement,

things

had forever changed.