Monthly Archives: April 2023

Negotiating Terms

I believe men and women want the same thing: 
To be loved on their terms.

I also believe this is not
The path to a successful relationship.

Successful relationships negotiate terms.

They start with a slow unveil of wants, 
Cemented with a fast & furious exchange of
Gives
And gets
And gives
And gets

That without fanfare morphs into
Offers
And accepts
And offers
And accepts

And finally into
Anticipations
And reciprocations
And anticipations
And reciprocations

Until one day they realize they want the same thing:
To be loved on their terms.

AI image generated via a prompt of “A Vermeer oil painting of an older couple pondering the following poem: …”

Thought #40

Places are not sacred.
The people we share them with 
Make them so.

And sometimes, when I share them
With no one but myself,
I know I am not alone.

Mount Shasta, at mid-point of a solo run in April 2023