Between Us Poem by Daniel Trevelyn Joseph

Am I so impatient that I see
Only bad, insensitive things
In what others do?

Am I not secure enough
To allow persons interested
To come close?

Why am I ready to freeze
After encouraging at the start
Steadily then, detach myself?

I begin later to speak less,
Smile less, step backward,
Don’t meet his or her eyes.

The message is crudely, silently
Given: No, don’t come further
It is not wanted: I am off, distant.

What happens can be predicted:
He or she sees the painful change
And moves away - slow, or fast.

Many disappear completely.
Only those in close circle stabilize
And with proper spaces between us.