I could do the thing
that you ask of me
but doesn’t it make more sense
for me to fight you
tooth and claw
blood and sweat tearing through
your best defenses
ensuring a battle royale
that takes us through the weekend?

Who needs clean clothes
when we can argue
about who does more of the laundry
or who failed to do it?
Shouldn’t we agree on the systems
of our lives
far more than the actual lives we live?

Too, it has been so long
since I have seen the kind of passion from you
that I can easily produce through argument.
So instead of dousing your frustrations
or finding how to better please you,
I will continue to search for the best way
to raise your hackles.