i do well with criteria, i must confess,
it acts as a guideline to avoid a mess,
i always fulfill criteria with dedication,
to earn your love, my aspiration.

but anxiety takes hold within my heart,
when love is shown without a chart,
without standards to guide your affection,
i question if it's really a genuine connection.

if you were to leave, i'd blame my own strife,
my inadequacy would be the result of this life,
for without criteria to prove my worth,
then i am nothing but a piece of dirt.

she was smiling
because the egg was
perfectly cooked
the whites are firm and creamy
the yolk is barely runny
her culinary perfection

i was smiling
because she was perfect
the way her eyes are sparkling
the way her dimples deepened
the way she warms my heart
my lovely perfection

you don't care
but
it is you i love
i know you can tell
from my gaze alone
now i feel like a fool because
i am nothing to you
i am just a passing thought and
i refuse to believe
that i was good enough to be loved
thinking i deserved such happiness
i detached myself from reality
all along
it is her you love

[now read from the bottom to the top.]

If I give you love
what will I get in return?
will it be acknowledged?
or will it be but spurned?
If I offer my love
will you be mine forever?
or will you laugh at me
and say to me   - not ever.
Am I just a fool in love?
head over heels and blind?
silly and sheepish, blushing
not knowing what's in my mind?
I stand on the steps of happiness
worried, lest I fall
falling at your feet
all curled up in a ball.
Columbus took a chance
and by God - he did all right
I cannot leave you now
without putting up a fight.
I smiled and said I love you
my voice began to crack
but your eyes lit up I swear
as you smiled at me right back!

If you fold up your paper,
turn off your radio and TV,
sit on the steps and sip your tea,
watch the birds and speak no words
as the sun rises yellow and round,
making rainbows on the dewy lawn,
you could fool yourself into thinking
there’s no ****** war going on.