I cast a glance,
a once-over evaluation,
comparing to a list I keep in my back pocket.
Could I live with this person for the rest of my life?
Do they fit my (impossibly high) standards?
Uncertainty of any kind leads directly to 'no.'
I seal my heart.

In this way, I haven't had so much as a crush
since grade three.
Is something wrong with me,
that I can discard affection so dispassionately?
That I can disregard attraction so callously?
Is this a cultivated skill I should be grateful for?
Or a curse that will render me forever-alone?

h.f.m.