you know you can't
make everyone like you
at best you can hope
they'll tolerate you
never hate you
they're always late

i've spent so much time
thinking about this
and how it keeps failing
and whose fault it is
and how to stop it
and how to return from it
and i think i've found a
solution

to break a death spiral you
must first disengage
state intentions
be friendly
care for one another
at arm's length
love from a distance