Stretch Marks

It was a short time away. I'm back. And I'm glad.

Last June I wrote a poem on guilt, so it's probably about time to deal with another tricky and useless emotion. This one, by the way, I would happily give away, sell, bury, or burn. The only positive thing I can say about it is at least it reminds me I'm a piece of work and a work in progress....

Jealousy

This one’s a no win.
You can shake your head and pace
and run your hands
through your hair
but you can’t expect.

You can let little tears
fall on your keyboard.
and remember how crazy
that voice within can be
but you can’t expect.

It’s fine to ask,
to put it out there
instead of keeping it inside a tattered box
where your little heart holds a toothpick for protection.
It’s fine to ask, but you can’t expect

because expecting lands you
on a one way road
where you lose no matter what.
You get what you want, maybe,
but only because.

Not for any other reason
you might hope for.
This is how it really works:
first, you have to trust yourself
and then you have to trust

that considerations are given
and choices weighed
and sometimes changes made
for your benefit only
because you can’t expect.