So Late in the Day: A Response Poem

These stories —
stories of men and women —
are familiar,
their expectations,
disappointments,
betrayals.

But my empathy
and anguish
are subdued now,
lingering in corners
and far enough
across the room
to not matter
all too much
in any immediate sense,
like the urge to smoke
that rises sometimes
with coffee or
at 3am with cold, cold stars.

And I swear I will never lie
to myself again
like that:
baking hope in cakes
or diamond rings
or affairs with
unintended consequences.

I will bide my time to 80
(god willing)
inhale the old habit
as promised,
but never again
will I lie in wait
for those stories —
stories of men and women —
I used to tell myself.

©2024, Jen Payne. Written after reading So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift. .