Writ before age and injury took this poet out of the romantic running.

*****

Recorded Reading (1:24): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/1tjbyoqy34f3tirljfmj7/Just-Bring-Yourself.mp3?rlkey=7eaicbdtyhzjg8zau61wnyfjz&dl=0

*****

Just Bring Your Self

One thing in mind ’tis good to keep
This girl you’re meeting isn’t cheap

Before you get into a dither
She isn’t that expensive either

Don’t try to take her to the mall
You cannot buy this girl at all

No, what she wants cannot be bought:
Originality of thought

Consideration from the heart
A little fun, a little art

A silly bit of harmless play
Adding upliftment to the day

Tolerance of difference
Willing mutual defense

Capacity for silence and
Sufficiency of self command

Reliable in honesty
As she so heartfelt always be

Impossible to feel forlorn
Smiling at her every morn

Because you see her smiling too
At the proximity of you

Though in a rush someplace to get
Reliable not to forget

The ultimate priority
She is to you, and you to she

If you can find that in a store
The purchase she will not deplore

Other things, leave on the shelf
And bring her what she wants: your Self

*****

This poet presently lives at a fraction of her nation’s poverty level.

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