Could I be forgiven
For the escalated expectations
That come from waiting?
Planning the perfect moment, pretending
To forget my things inside
I’m much too exacting for that
Bullshitting with the printer whose toner is changed
With the frequency of an undergrad’s major
I could be forgiven
That this would be also…
Major that is, not minor
That’s reserved for the answers you give
Which makes the word “vague” feel
Insecure and lazy
Not that I am, not exactly
I could be forgiven for reading too much
Into your beguiling, hard-nosed glare
I do read too much though
I hope I’ll be forgiven
For the insecurity at least, but it isn’t
Laziness to expect a response
What is lazy is not making
The effort
To move your borrowed book onto
The desk, the counter, the bed
Where you won’t end up either
Ultimately too much effort
But if you make the first
I’ll fall in line
I’m nothing if not an expert
Re-gifter
…maybe I’m lazy after all
Austin, I like how the internal conflict comes through in so many ways, especially all the “not”s. After enjoying the poem’s snapshot of a relationship, I read it as a portrait of passive aggression. Love it!
The internal conflict shapes this poem…
“I could be forgiven for reading too much into your beguiling, hard-nosed glare. I do read too much though.”
This is excellent.