Today

I don’t want to write a poem today.

I don’t want to string words together today.

I don’t want to communicate anything today.

I don’t want to find a lot of pretty words for pain today.

I don’t want to be human today.

I don’t want to be anything today.

I don’t want to come up with reasons to be hopeful today.

I don’t want to read your inspirational quote today.

I don’t want to hear your bad news today.

I don’t want to hear your good news today.

I don’t want to feel guilty for starting every line of this poem with the words “I don’t want”—today.

I don’t want to be ashamed of feeling like this today.

I don’t want to feel today.

I don’t want to get rained on today.

I don’t want to be so self-absorbed today.

I don’t want to feel like a toxic burden on the universe today.

I don’t want to sign your petition today.

I don’t want to hear about your religion today.

I don’t want to read one of those insipid poems where you read it one way and it’s all depressing but you read it the other way and it’s “uplifting” or “positive” today.

I don’t want to think about what those poems imply about our society, today.

I don’t want to hear you say, “Oh golly, I sure know how that feels,” today.

I don’t want to have anything in common with anybody else today.

I don’t want to come up with some clever picturesque little way to say, “But maybe tomorrow will be better,” today.