07-28-2012, 11:50 AM
A poem I pseudowrote as an exercise that inverts the theme/uses the structure of Jenny Bornholdt's poem "The boyfriends," which I like very much.
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The girlfriends all love you but that is not what you want from them.
They say it is beautiful that you will be together for the rest of
your lives. You will be together for the rest of your lives
because this is exactly right and you are a perfect man.
Because your mother is dead and because they like to think
your remaining family reflects well on you, they say you will marry
them and there will be children. It will be nice, it will be stable, they are
able to provide you with all the things you need and want, there
will never be any silliness, you are not adventurous that way. You
are destined to the family life.
They say it will be best for you. You will be very content, they
just know. It will all work out correctly. You will find contentment,
or contentment will find you and you will be married and be
very happy.
This is what you want, of course.
They say you are ready for happiness, anyone can see that.
You will be very happy, you'll see.
They imagine their own joy when the day finally comes.
They tell you about this. There is a scrapbook. They imagine seeing
themselves in the dress, they point out the hall where the reception
will be held. It used to be a Catholic boarding school. You were a Catholic
and will appreciate this. You will be looking happy. They will be
looking happy. You will both be looking very happy. Later, they will
look at photographs and feel very happy about how it worked out, how
possible the great love is. Because yours is the great love. The true love.
Oh yes. And it will work. Even though the great love never works.
Even though the true love is doomed to fail.
You suspect they have seen too many romantic comedies with too many
handsome American men overcoming too many obstacles with too much
charm and compassion.
In the end of course, you leave. Or she leaves. It is a choice.
You are not unhappy. Neither of you are anything, really. It is
not very much like a romantic comedy.
When you see her in the street you pretend you do not. You
look away. You do not cry, but feel sick a lot. You
exercise until the sick feeling goes away and you can eat.
Eating is important.
She says please come back.
She says leaving was the most foolish thing she ever did. You don't know what to say.
She does not say please come back again.
You do not go back. Because it would be going back to being not unhappy.
You prepared yourself to be unhappy for years. It took such a long time.
It took years of listening to her loving you, knowing that
it wouldn't be enough.
All that loving.
All that is left is the loving.
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The girlfriends all love you but that is not what you want from them.
They say it is beautiful that you will be together for the rest of
your lives. You will be together for the rest of your lives
because this is exactly right and you are a perfect man.
Because your mother is dead and because they like to think
your remaining family reflects well on you, they say you will marry
them and there will be children. It will be nice, it will be stable, they are
able to provide you with all the things you need and want, there
will never be any silliness, you are not adventurous that way. You
are destined to the family life.
They say it will be best for you. You will be very content, they
just know. It will all work out correctly. You will find contentment,
or contentment will find you and you will be married and be
very happy.
This is what you want, of course.
They say you are ready for happiness, anyone can see that.
You will be very happy, you'll see.
They imagine their own joy when the day finally comes.
They tell you about this. There is a scrapbook. They imagine seeing
themselves in the dress, they point out the hall where the reception
will be held. It used to be a Catholic boarding school. You were a Catholic
and will appreciate this. You will be looking happy. They will be
looking happy. You will both be looking very happy. Later, they will
look at photographs and feel very happy about how it worked out, how
possible the great love is. Because yours is the great love. The true love.
Oh yes. And it will work. Even though the great love never works.
Even though the true love is doomed to fail.
You suspect they have seen too many romantic comedies with too many
handsome American men overcoming too many obstacles with too much
charm and compassion.
In the end of course, you leave. Or she leaves. It is a choice.
You are not unhappy. Neither of you are anything, really. It is
not very much like a romantic comedy.
When you see her in the street you pretend you do not. You
look away. You do not cry, but feel sick a lot. You
exercise until the sick feeling goes away and you can eat.
Eating is important.
She says please come back.
She says leaving was the most foolish thing she ever did. You don't know what to say.
She does not say please come back again.
You do not go back. Because it would be going back to being not unhappy.
You prepared yourself to be unhappy for years. It took such a long time.
It took years of listening to her loving you, knowing that
it wouldn't be enough.
All that loving.
All that is left is the loving.
. i like the way you did the end, i think for men, loving is never enough....maybe for women as well.