subtext

I am a good man;

I am not a good man.

I drink too much,

but I feel guilty about it.

I constantly condemn myself,

but do little to make amends.

Remorse is a form of absolution;

my life is compromised by remorse.

Overthinking past possibilities,

I am presently oblivious.

I want to show people my poetry,

yet feel childish when I do.

I vacillate between insecure competence,

and the lies of incompetence.

What do people do with their minds

who do not read or write?

If I were someone else,

I’d be bored with who I am.

(January 7, 2022)