THE DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING

Everyone thinks that I am beautiful.
Sparkling, gleaming, all aglow with legendary fire.
The one who bought me will be in debt for years,
so intense was his desire.

But he paid up gladly.
He thought I was worth it.
I was to be the bait for a larger prize.
He must think she is worth it.

When he finally popped the question
with soulful words and bended knee,
she didn't answer till she'd open the box.
Her reaction was almost funny.

Her yes was immediate.
She didn't even blink.
She thought it was a fair exchange.
She didn't need to think.

Now, I am her most precious possession.
She shows me off at every opportunity.
I am on her finger day and night;
she suffers the inconvenience gladly.

Her friends envy her. His friends envy him.
They don't see the sadness in his eyes.
They don't know that he has bought this love.
She became his for a price.

They say a diamond is a girl's best friend.
She must think that's true.
I just hope she remembers
It's not me she's getting married to.

The English Lit Book

I should be used to this by now.
My life is no ball.
I have but one reader,
and he doesn't read me at all.

He only picks me up
when his mother's in the room.
His eyes scan down, not sideways.
It's like he's set on 'zoom'.

This kid's no speedreader.
so I know just pretends.
The moment his mommy leaves the room,
I drop straight down from his hands.

Sometimes he even curses
and throws me against the door.
Hey, it's not my fault his prospects
are lower than the floor.

He'd much rather flip through
that magazine under his bed.
The one with big letters and naked women.
Where flesh rules and God is dead.

It saddens me so much
that he will never know
the music of poetry, the pathos of tragedy,
the courage of a true hero.


But then, he is young.
Maybe someday he'll learn.
Knowledge is freely given.
But wisdom is something earned.

The Weighing Scale of a Dieting Woman

She places too much importance
on the numbers I show her.
She's being ridiculous.
It's going to backfire.

Doesn't she know
she should weigh just once a week?
See. She's heavier by half a pound.
Now she's gonna panic.

Then she won't eat for days.
Then, she can't sleep at night.
Then she'll lose all control
and eat everything in sight.

It always ends the same sad way.
She gains more weight than she already dropped.
Then she vomits everything and starts again.
It's a vicious cycle she can't seem to stop.

There she goes now,
Swimming in self-pity.
Someone should just break me
and put her out of her misery.