You chose poorly.
You chose unwell.
You had better options:
you could’ve been with the doctor
a lawyer – Indian chiefs and indian chefs both sought your hand!

You had all of the capitals
offering you housing
and jobs and power
– all to please you.
You had recitals
and speaking tours
and plays and poems to write
and concerts and interviews and experiments to conduct
and

God, what couldn’t you be doing?

Your youth
your strength
your will and wit
left you with nothing but opportunities to consider.
You had a wealth of ways
to win your wealth
but
you chose none of them.

You picked a man
a town
a chance
that had so little likelihood of panning out.
You took a job beneath you
because you don’t make the kinds of judgements
the lesser mortals make.

You chose a low life.
Why would you ever choose so poorly?