CHANGE OF RHYTHM

You love the musician boys
when you know they will do you wrong.
They will hurt you
and write songs about it
and you will never know because
they’ll play clubs in other neighborhoods
that you won’t visit
except with the next musician boyfriend
who will, in turn, hurt you too.

This is a cycle that you repeat
too often
a ride whose ticket you’ve already bought
for far too much.
You must break the chain.
Go a different way
find the sort of boy
who won’t work at Wimpy’s
well into his forties.

You need to take a risk
and do something new
if only for the novel experience.
Date a poet.
They don’t need a band to make it
because there is no chance
that a poet
will ever make it.
His best bet would be to teach high school English
until cutbacks require the position
go to someone with a Masters.

A poet knows where he stands
in the pecking order
so he’d be appreciative
of any attention
sent his way.

Sleep with a poet
Let him woo you.
They’re good people
and plus,
poets have a,
uh,
what’s the phrase?
Oh, right!
A way with words.

Date a poet
to change your pattern.
Date a poet
and fix your life.
Date a poet
because those musicians ain’t working out
and I don’t have anything else to offer.
Date a poet
and start a new trend
in mere minutes.

So, what do you think?
And please, when you answer,
realize whose language
you use:
Mine!