Defining the Problem
By Wendy Cope

I can't forgive you. Even if I could
You wouldn't pardon me for seeing through you.
And yet I cannot cure myself of love
For what I thought you were before I knew you.

When You Are Old
By W.B. Yeats

When you are old and gray and full of sleep
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved you beauty with love false or true;
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in yuo,
And lvoed the sorrows of yuor changing face.

And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how loved fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead,
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

Confusion

I am standing in the middle
of Somewhere.
I don't know where I am.
I don't know what to do.
What am I feeling?
Is this right?
Am I wrong?
What are You trying to tell me?
What is he trying to tell me?
I'm so confused.
I have no one to guide me.
Do I need to worry?
Is this really important?
Look at the beauty around me.
Of people and trees and skies.
Of children and hills and breezes.
And still I yearn for an answer.
I want to know.
I want to hold something solid within my hands.
I want confidence.
Confidence.
Trust.
That I will be happy.

Cleansed

Bone tired exhausted
The good kind of tired
That makes you sleep hard
And wake up hungry.

I laid everything out on the court
Tonight
I'm not good
Just mediocre
But that doesn't matter
What matters is
Breath, Fast hot, hard
Sweat, trickling, beading on my lip
Body, moving, pounding, jumping, running, stretching
Exertion
is a good thing.

It's good to lose myself
Immersed
In this one moment
Not caring about homework
Impressing guys
Listening to friends' problems
Worrying about kids in Bible class
Just giving everything within me
A Chance
to just

let go

Headache

Blah
is the mood I feel right now.
Stay here in my little shell,
I am a little green turtle,
happily hidden away,
sheltered from everything.
I am an island,
Glad in my solitude,
Strong in my independence,
Learning to sparkle once again from my own means.
Sometimes I wish for other things,
Sometimes I wish for a change,
I long for new things
Yet I want to remain here
Safe in my ostracization.

Am I ready to wander away again?
Strong enough to venture out,
Alone.
Vulnerable.
Without my shell.

And that is why my head aches.
So there.