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I'm a Minnesota Girl, living in the south. I tell my friends I try not to talk and think like a Yankee, but sometimes I slip up!

Friday, May 22, 2009


Mutually Exclusive





Mutually exclusive,
We feint around the frost
Of a friendship that once was..
The edges, crisp.
Once, I felt we’d recapture
After the fog of recrimination
Of “judgmental politeness” dissipated,
Warmth.
But with time I’ve grown
Accustomed to the distance
We bob and weave and multitask
And do what it takes to fill the days and hours
Efficiently, effortlessly.
I’ve been accused of forgiving
Too easily, not plumbing the depths of blame,
Content to flare and move on
Caring more to mend than to point fingers
I prefer this.
But this cold, this draft, this silence and
Dare I say? Smugness, it’s changed me
Worn me down, left me of all ungodly things
Aloof
I don’t even like that word, do you?
And yet I enact it, content to
Keep you at a distance as you
Keep me beyond your borders
What a waste.






I've become an obligation.

5 comments:

Pam said...

Harsh and biting. Love it! I sense a crisp tinge of bitterness framing the images.

quid said...

It's been a tough week. A 30 year friendship on the rocks. Sigh.

quid

Pam said...

Lots of cyber hugs ((((HUGS))) coming your way!

Kelly said...

Wonderful poem.... and I'm sorry for the tough time that's inspired posting it.

(((hugs))) from me, too!

Marion said...

Great poem, Lynn, bittersweet and sad, but soul-stirring. I'm sending you a 'poor baby' from Louisiana....Sometimes it's the hardest times that make for the best poems because we have to dig deeper within ourselves to exorcise the hurt and grief.

I've also had a rough time recently with an old friend I've had since I was 25. I was wishing to myself that one could simply divorce a 'friend'. It's a hard place to be in---I feel for you. Hang in there and keep writing. I know it helps me...