I Was Going To Write You A Poem Poem by Sheila Knowles

to tell you how much
I love the cup of coffee
you bring me every morning
and the way you warm my icy feet
on cold nights

to say how much I enjoy
the nights we sit together
not saying a word
just allowing a moment for a smile
or a quick kiss

I wanted you to know
I’m listening
even when I only seem
to nod my head
and ask you to light the fires
and bring out the trash

I wanted my words
to be more than bills
and timetables
and the endless list
of daily chores and plans

to show you how much
I choke on the guilt
that follows the anger
that spurts from my deviant mouth
when things, as they often do
don’t go to plan

I wanted you to know
how I believe in us
and the future we’re still forming
to tell you how I feel
each argument brings us closer
and that nothing is easy to begin with
and that I have faith and patience
in who we can be
when the screaming matches
lose their vigour
and the battle of wits subsides

but the words keep
getting tangled
around my fingers
and I’m just not sure
you’re ready

to hear them