Today's poem is by Denise Duhamel

Poem in Which I Break My Promises
       

I won't be going to the party after all. And there's no way
I'm going to love you and cherish you for life. I'm gobbling the plums,
guzzling the last beer in the fridge. Yes, I'm drinking again.
I'm not going to read my students' papers. I'm not going to
upload any end-of-semester grades. I buried the promise necklace
you gave me deep in the sand for someone else to find.
I'm not a fan of telling the truth when I take the stand.
My "pinkie swear" has turned into a "screw you." I ignore
the unspoken expectations of friendship and, if challenged,
will deny I ever understood them. I'm tearing up
the promissory note, all my contracts. Promise Butter
didn't keep its promise of being a healthy alternative. Politicians
don't keep their promises, so why should I? I lied
when I said I believed in the promise of the American Dream.
All my halfhearted promises to God? I made them
under duress. The Promised Land is in foreclosure
as far as I can tell. And all those "maybes" of mine?
I hope you know I meant "no." My fingers are permanently
crossed behind my back. Did you really think I'd die
and leave you my estate? Ha! I have changed my will.
I'm leaving everything, my dear, to chance.

Copyright © 2024 Denise Duhamel All rights reserved
from Conduit
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission