Out Of U And Me Poem by Heidi K. Haskell

Don't know what I was expecting.
Maybe that you could be the adult for once.
Although I act just like you,
And I always try to avoid responsibility.

A child's first response is trust.
And the child in me keeps on repressing
Every memory of being let down by you,
Choosing only to see the few happy surprises.

But that child needs correcting.
Selective memory's just one of her stupid stunts,
A mountain cabin she can hike to,
Barely missing cliffs with luck and not agility.

From here on out, I guess I must
Do what I find so horribly distressing -
Not writing a sonnet or haiku -
But coping rationally with whatever arises.

Which won't be such an easy task
Considering that I'm surrounded
By the people that I've gathered
To make my decisions for me.

And I'm sure you comprehend
The constant lure of always ignoring
And avoiding any semblance of conflict
That rears its ugly head.

I don't even have to ask.
I'm not the slightest bit confounded.
Though, truth be told, I would have rathered
To have gotten a different gene or three.

So let's agree to just pretend
That being responsible is merely boring,
Not some terrifying thing sent to inflict
Us with some nameless, horrid dread.

And I'll try not to give you too much credit
And think you're taking care of things
Or me. I'll always second guess.
Because I don't do that enough already.

And here's another thing, that because
I avoid conflict, I know I'll never tell you:
Almost every part of you I see in me,
I have a deep-seated desire to exhume.

See, that was hurtful. Those things I edit.
But burying those thoughts always brings
Some new indigestion to my life's mess.
Which, even on good days, is rather unsteady.

So I guess the point of this whole thing was:
Don't assume I have a clue. Alas! What befell two
People: one heir to the other's faults, to the least wee sin. We
Know what happens when you assume.