My Optimist And My Pessimist Poem by Jim Yerman

An optimist lives inside me…walks beside me
his glasses are rose colored…his outlook… a little sun-kissed.
Unfortunately there's more…for living right next door
inside me…his neighbor…the pessimist.

Whatever my condition…they jockey for position
one's outlook is gloomy…the other's…is quite glorious
and I never can say…at the end of the day
which one will end up victorious…

The optimist, once unfurled, …sees before him a beautiful world
the pessimist has his fears, his confusion… his doubts
Take Stella for example…she's just a sample
of exactly what I'm talking about

Stella's indiscreet…she lives on the street
I use to see her every morning when I walked by…
When in the dark I would meet her…I'd try hard to greet her
but to this day she has never said HI.

We've been like two ships that pass in the night…and that's been alright…
It's been our relationship for many a year
My pessimist wonders what's wrong…why she's been homeless so long
while my optimist thinks things aren't as bad as I fear.

As I come round a bend…where two buildings ascend
she's usually sitting on a bench in between
I'm not sure why or how…but for quite some time now
when I round the bend Stella's nowhere to be seen.

The pessimist in my head thinks perhaps she is dead…
now residing in a cemetery or catacomb…
The optimist in me…sees it a bit differently
thinks, perhaps, Stella has returned to her home.

Of course I have no way of knowing…how her life is going
as both my optimist and pessimist spar at each day's beginning…
but by the end of the day…I am happy to say…
my optimist does most of the winning.

In fact…over the years…through my hopes, dreams and fears..
the pessimist in me has softened…
and though they both still reside…somewhere deep inside…
I find the optimist now visits more often.