It's Not Me, It's You

Fair warning:

Today is not your day.

I don’t have time

to give you attention

and God knows

you need

a lot of it.

My plate is full.

I have a job. There are

students to teach, papers

to grade, people

to meet. As we speak,

there are

online forums

awaiting

my moderation.

And though you may

laugh, I’ll have you know

that I have other

things in my life

to write,

like emails

and reports.

And I’ll just say it:

I find their

non-figurative nature

surprisingly

attractive.

Their straight lines

leave me less
twisted and
tortured with
self-doubt.

And when
we are finished,
they don't
make me roll them
around
to feel how they
sound
before
I send
them
out.