Appreciate
Signs you may expect perfection in others:
you find it hard to put yourself in someone else’s shoes
currents spiking through my veins
not the good kind, not
sunny beachy walks and holding hands and laughing chasing waves
the sharp alarming kind
searing through my chest and in my belly
fire and a jolt that rips the mask off like a bandaid
“do as I say, express respect, appreciate – cherish!
have no voice no views no sense of self
no reasoning can reach beyond the bricks of self-esteem
my feelings matter more than understanding facts or what really occurred
My House My Rules,” no room for needs for words beyond
Smile
Appreciate
Respect
Marion Lougheed grew up in Canada, Benin, Belgium, and Germany. She still isn’t sure where to call home. She is a winner of the Prime 53 Poem Summer Challenge (Press 53, 2021) and has been published in several print and online outlets. She holds a professional writing diploma and too many degrees in anthropology.
