WHEN I TALK TO YOU

 

 

When I talk to you, I feel

insecure, cowed,

ashamed.

Like a disappointment.

Not good enough.

 

Upon hearing this, you act surprised

and wonder

how I can possibly feel this way,

as you become that much more

disappointed in me.

 

Do I tell you who I am now?

Disclose how I feel

about anything?

Or do I limit it to what I want

to tell you about myself?

It’s not the same thing.

 

Do I present myself to you as a snapshot

in two dimensions,

or as a three-dimensional portrait,

my only certainty that

you won’t really look at it

either way?

 

I guess I’ll just see where it goes

and decide later if I care

what your reaction will be.

​

                             

 

 

 

Published by Synkroniciti Magazine Vol. 4, No. 4, Katherine McDaniel, editor