Very powerful poem, wendelin, especially in the last stanza. You've portrayed this pairing perfectly, in my opinion, and you do it without wasting a word and with a lot of beauty.

My only nitpick:

Remember when you held that dove?
All I’ve ever learned from love,
Is how it breaks you when you need it the most.

I don't really understand the relevance on the first line - it seems to me that you were just trying to rhyme, and so you added that in. I may be wrong, and it may be important, but it just doesn't connect with the rest of the poem and was a bit jarring.

Otherwise, though, this was a wonderful poem; great flow and rhythm, wonderfully unforced rhyme, and it was all uniquely portrayed. Great job.

Kate

that was a really good poem!!