its strange how flippantly
we use words like "never,"
"always" and "forever."
as if we think that control
is something we can borrow
and manipulate.

its strange how quick we are
to forget promises,
unspoken or expressed,
when the whim suits
our selfish needs...

needs:
like the toy we were denied
as a toddler, only to replace
the object of lust for something
else formed from plastic
and a popular label.

needs:
like the crush we simply
"couldn't live without" in Jr. High,
scribbling their initials in sweaty,
nervous palms...
only for the ink to be washed away
by lemon scented soap, ready
for another to rise to the occasion...

Needs...
needs, like words, voiced so flippantly...

as if tomorrow is something we
think we're owed and as if God
is an office or pawn we can borrow
and manipulate.

01/22/2002

Posted on 01/22/2002
Copyright © 2025 Rachelle Howe