She talks in a falsetto that drives me crazy
ninety-five percent of the time, is
terrified of confrontation, spends
too much time talking
about mundane details
that put all of us
to sleep.
She takes $10 worth of holistic vitamins
every day, will not drink beer
or whiskey, hands out
judgment like a priest
distributes alms
--but never out loud--
since she has never been wrong,
she has never learned how to be
sorry, a twentysomething
virgin, terrified
of her own
sexuality, she is
my trial.

In most religions, the rule is
to love all Earth's children
(even the anal-retentive ones)
but for now, I settle
for exploring the limits
of coexistence
with this woman who is
hardly my species.
If I can learn to smile
at her from nothing more than
genuine sympathy over our
shared human condition
(since God knows we share nothing else)
I can hope that maybe
she can learn
to smile
with not just her mouth,
but her whole face
(for once)

11/18/2012

Posted on 11/19/2012
Copyright © 2025 Cassandra Leigh