Poem 20

I once knew a girl

she was older than me

counting back, I suppose she was nine

She was a bit of a crush

if not really my first

I was easily charmed at the time

She liked somebody else

but then he turned her down

so to make her feel better, I said

"Well, I like you at least!"

She turned sharply on me

and my face may have turned a bit red

The contempt in her eyes

has stayed with me for years

I see now that my timing was off

but for years I took care

not to tell anyone

never told anyone
that I liked them that way

Seeing such a look once was enough.