What Lovely Things? [revised] Poem by Margaret Alice Second

Honesty, the most dangerous thing, you are my
fair-weather friend – when I openly confess how
bad I feel you get angry, claiming I’m double-
crossing you as together we would have done
many wonderful things - what lovely things?

Friday afternoon - you watch rugby, I will read
my book; where are the lovely things when we
follow the same routines every day; yesterday
you insisted I take a piece of cake, now you
wash your hands - like Pontius Pilate -

In innocence, I brought the allergy on myself,
you claim, purposely to spoil your life - today
this is a rare occasion when I felt so bad I could
not hide it from anyone, tired and confused, I
drove like a fiend

It was so difficult to find my way, only able
to concentrate with eyes drawn into slits and
despite that you are not even touched, not a
bit, no, you argue I’m doing you in, usurping
your good time – yet all we would do today

Is read the newspaper, watch the Big Bang
Theory together…


[ORIGINAL: ]

Honesty is the most dangerous thing, you are my fair-weather friend
when I openly confessed how bad I feel, you got angry saying that
I’m double-crossing you as we would have done so many wonderful
things together – what lovely things?

On a Friday afternoon we watch TV, I read my book, you watch the
rugby matches – where is the doing of lovely things? – We simply
follow the same routine every day, YOU insisted I take a piece of
cake yesterday, now you facetiously

Wash your hands in innocence, I brought this on myself, you say,
deliberately to spoil your way of life; but I couldn’t do that in a
million years, today is a rare occasion when I feel so
bad I could not hide it from anyone

I drove like a fiend, tired and confused, it was so difficult
to find my way but easy to concentrate with my eyes drawn into
slits and you are not touched, not a bit, no, you argue I’m
doing you in, usurping your good time –

When all we would do today is read the newspaper and
watch the Big Bang Theory together…