She thinks she’s the emotional one
Crying during sad movies
I adore her in those moments
Seeing beneath the bark for an instant
When the movie’s over she’s ironwood
She thinks I’m stoic—evergreen
She sees my smile at the death scene
I’m not making fun in those moments
I’m envious
I’m touched and I’m envious
I see her tender humanity then
But I’m jealous of those moments
As they are seldom
For me there is a tissue thin veneer
I am always on the verge
Always wounded and mourning
She is a mighty oak
Dripping seasonal rains
I am a weeping willow
Whose roots run six feet deep
Having weathered countless storms
Many branches haven’t budded in years
They are stiff and creak in the wind
I’ve a hollowed trove of nuts
For a squirrel that’s never returned
Rotten leaves serve as mulch
Feeding on my own decay
Giving me the energy to wax poetically
The parts of me that are green
They are green because of her
I try to shade her in a mad world
But I lean into her and she doesn’t know
I’m always afraid of the next big storm
That it will take me down
Uproot me
She’s a mighty oak
But, she thinks I’m the strong one
erichmichaels 