Poem: I’m Sorry You Feel #NaPoWriMo

I’m sorry if you feel,
under false pretenses,
I took your energy,
your youth and beauty,
your love and trust,
your boundless affection,
and unquestioned devotion.

I’m sorry you feel
I betrayed you with
with a deceptive sense
of subservience and spinelessness.

I’m sorry you feel
I emerged as someone
different from the person
you thought I would be.

I’m sorry you feel
I should have been
more malleable and
grateful for instruction.

I’m sorry you feel
I never should have wanted
more than you could give
or needed more than I had.

I’m sorry you feel
your fears for the future were fulfilled.
I’m sorry you fear you will walk
alone when the lockdown is over.

Photo by Umberto Shaw on Pexels.com

Poem: A Peeved Pet

I don’t think she ever loved me.
We’d sleep together, but she
never touched me in bed.
If I tried to stroke her face,
she’d pull away in disgust
with a violent shake of contempt.
From time to time, she’d run
away but return in due time.
She didn’t seem interested in
anyone else, so we appeared
doomed to share grudging company.
Maybe she was happy cohabiting
in shared shelter with no feeling.
Maybe she really longed for love,
but dreamed only of joining
a tight pack of her own kind.