Be Quick About It Poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

Remember...
It was not me.
But you,
Who made your choices with a choosing done.
You voiced your opinions,
And passed judgements on some.
You asked for no advice to decide what to do.
You also chose to ridicule.
And now...
Which part of my empathy do you wish to see sincere?
And how much of my attention to you should I give?

'I don't want anything from you,
If it is not to me given with sincerity.
I know I have said and done some nasty things.
But...
I still regard you as a 'friend'.

You know what's so ironic about what you just said?

'No.
What?
Tell me.'

I remember you coming into my home,
Invited.
And out of the blue you called me a fool.
For the choices I made you did not approve.
And then you curse at me,
With a doing to disrespect my home and hospitality.
And do you remember...
I remained being cordial to you.
I even apologized for running out of wine.
Of which you drank a bottle of it.
And now you want 'what' from me?
Attention and empathy?
And time...
I had given to you freely?
With a doing to drop 'anything' I had prioritized.

Remember...
It was not me.
But you,
Who made your choices with a choosing done.
You voiced your opinions,
On me and everyone.
And passed judgements on some.
Including me.
You asked for no advice to decide what to do.
You told me 'my' thoughts were not your cup of tea!
You also chose to ridicule...me!
What I did to do and hard times I lived through.
And now...
Which part of my empathy do you wish to see sincere?
And how much of my attention to you should I give?
And be quick about it.
I have things to do.