"Poem for Myself in the Event
of Having a Bad Day" by Nick Wort

Dear Nick,

You are only in a bad mood because
you haven’t been sleeping well. And because
you are afraid of being abandoned by people
who are too scared to love 
you in the first place. 


You deserve better than that.

Take a second and breathe. Imagine you
are on a beach, far enough from the
water that you do not fear drowning 
(like you always do, every time you
step foot on a beach). There is a cool
breeze flowing past your face. 

This is a clichéd environment to want to
relax in. Clichés are okay for relaxation
fantasies but bad for poetry. 

Is it okay to write a poem about
your clichéd relaxation fantasy?


You want love but won’t accept
it from anyone willing to love you back. 
This is something you should 
attempt to deal with, eventually.

Do you remember when Jenni gave you
a tarot reading? How the card that
represented your future fell out
of the deck and landed 
face up at your feet? 

That was an undeniable 
sign from an astrological body that
knows more than you ever will.