A Step Back Poem by A B Faniki

She took a step back in life, but I guess
you can tell from the weariness she wears
and from the strain lines her brow bear
which her eyes tried to hide: without success

for the shadow beneath them- a gift from sleepless
night and restless thought that always appear
tireless and make her heart sag with despair;
and all this brought upon by a single mess:

from which she has now learned that loyalty
comes an awful second behind self-interest and
a bird in hand is worth more than twenty
on a tree. She has taken a step back in life and

had she trusted men, she would've been in a pretty
hot soup instead of looking forward to a step forward.