My Play
[Props to Frank O'Hara]

I ran into Alex, my friend the playwright,
down at the Blue Monk the other night.
I asked him what he was working on; he said
a play about betrayal. I told him, wow,
that's a big area. He agreed. He asked me
what I was working on. I told him
a series of poems about love. He said, wow,
that's an even bigger area. I agreed.
A couple of weeks pass. I see Alex.
He's having some trouble with his play,
as I am with my poems. So much overlap
between good and bad, we agree.
We swear to each other that we will
persevere until some good does come
of our struggles, something lasting.
There is never enough caring, nor ever
a stop to the lies, and so our destiny is
always to put them in the spotlight.
A couple of more weeks pass.
I see Alex. His betrayal play is finished;
so are my love poems. He calls his Love;
I call mine Betrayal.

(2008)