You Have Me
By Mark Wahl

You,
embracing me,
shunning me alternately.
You are the one on my mind,
like a song that doesn't belong
or a fever dream
rerunning and rerunning.

You are lovely indeed,
funny
and secretly sensitive.
But that's not why
it's you that's on my mind.

You have invaded my hearth,
digging in like so many soldiers,
and throwing back attempts to oust you
with such violence.
But it's more of a tilt of your head
and a self-conscious smile
that holds me,
not a monumental struggle,
or a well-planned campaign.

Please,
just pretend you've put some thought into this.
Make it seem a struggle.

Mark Wahl is a communications policy analyst living in northern Virginia. He writes poetry frequently, short stories occasionally, and publishes seldom.