1
don't you young
become poets
it may sound romantic and cool
but that's what it is - it sounds
Yeah, it's all about how it sounds

Mom was right:
Better be a dentist -
for though you stare all day into mouths
you'll be agape when you look at your bank accounts
Dad was right:
Better be a surgeon-specialist -
for though you fix areseholes all life-through
your bank account is never a dark hole

And poetry, remember,
they must have told you, doesn't sell;
the Humanities are not for humans;
Writing is for those who can't talk their way up -
so don't aspire to be a poet
dear young ones
for you'll suffer all life
of scarcity of means,
plenty of sneers and want

2
And your husbands will tell you:
I married you cause being a poet
I thought you could moan and oooh and aaah
and make better love than that!
And your wives will scowl:
**** your poetry!
Get me real diamonds and money!

3
So dear young ones
perhaps you want to give up your verse
and turn to medicine or finance
or engineering
and study for dollars instead

*a return on investment
is what you want

As the Autumn leaves fall,
so does our very foundation.

I feel like I'm watching the destruction of everything we fought for in slow motion.

I feel sick.

I feel meaningless, and dead.
Once filled with love and joy,
This soul of mine is now empty.

I should have realized things were too good to be true.
You loved me too much for it to be real.

I should have expected it.
In hindsight it's all there.

The distance.
The accusations.
The distrust.
The selfishness.

You were never in it for us,
You were only in it for the benefits it provided.

I gave you a shoulder to cry on,
A roof over your head,
Food to eat,
A place to sleep,
Compassion and support.

I helped you out of your hole just so you could walk away.
Once your needs were met, I was no longer one of them.