Taken Easily For Granted Poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

Okay!

"Okay?
Okay...to what?
What are you okaying to? "

My own inability to give up.
Attempting to rationalize,
A nonsense with common sense to use.
That I have begun to recognize,
The inflicting of my own self abuse.
And check this out...
Now I'm discovering becoming amused by it.

"Whew!
That's a relief.

Relief?
Why for you is that a relief?

"I thought you were getting ready to say,
Okay you had waited too long...
For me to return that $20 I owed you."

You owe me TWENTY DOLLARS?
When did you borrow TWENTY DOLLARS from me?

"Well...
Will you find it amusing,
If I said that was 15 years ago? "

Fifteen years ago?
Why would you bring that up NOW?
That's stupid.

"I realize that now.
But since we are living in days,
When Black Lives Matter more than ever before.
I thought maybe...
Just maybe,
You had it in your heart...
To express and give me your empathy."

Well...
Black liver of your life that matters,
Where is my money?
And remember this...
I did not bring this up.
You did.
To remind me,
How easy I am to be taken for granted.