When I was younger and more desperate,
I hung on every word I heard
From those who I admired most
And those who thought I was absurd

Every new message was a blessing,
Every acknowledgement was a gift,
I'd instantly reply and then sit waiting
For another other-worldly gift

It was quite often I'd be dismayed
When someone wouldn't text me back
I'd pretend I wasn't thinking about it
And proceed with my normal life, sad.

It was just one wish I had back then
To be placed upon someone's list
To receive the love that I would give
And learn what an equal relationship is!

Often times I hear, "text slower!
Don't make yourself seem desperate!
If you reply right away,
You'll send the wrong kind of message!

You need to wait at least 5 minutes
Or if you want to win, 5 days.
Only if you really back off
Will you stand a chance of getting paid

In the attention and love of others.
You think you love, but love is this;
Abide by society's expectations
And fit real love into the slits

That society leaves for what love's worth
It's not a lot, so don't be greedy.
These expectations are absolute
And not made for the needy."

I'm soaking in these messages
And thinking how wrongly I've been being
There's so much that I do not do
Because I don't see what they're seeing.

So if I choose to wait 2 hours
Instead of texting in 2 minutes
Aren't I just wasting 1 hour
And 58 of my life's minutes?

Would it not be more foolish
To pretend I don't care at all
And text you two weeks later
And never hear from you at all?

Could I ever be so arrogant
As to assume my attention's a gift?
Would somebody desperately await my text?
Is that what love really is?

People play these faithless games
And I do not get it at all.
If you like someone, you like someone
If you don't, well, it's your call.

But in this dance, there's no romance.
You're just wasting your precious time.
How can people ignore opportunities
And dangle other people's lives?

You want to seem really important
You want to seem really busy
You want to seem like you don't care.
Is apathy really living?

Is apathy your best bet
To win over another's heart?
Is romance dead and love foolish
And honesty falling apart?

Use your hours and minutes wisely
Being genuine and direct is nice.
Although I started a desperate loser,
I still never have to think twice.

What was once a flailing grasp
Is now a calculated decision
I want the love I have to last
And pardon my derision

But I don't have the time, respect
Or patience for any of these games.
If I like you, I'll text you back
And I hope you do the same.

I have a love of directness
That is one of my favorite blessings.
I talk to people candidly
And never leave them guessing!

It's a lost art, I'm an old soul
It's really fun, despite these facts
I hope directness will live on
And our society texts it back!