This poem is inspired by Bella Smith’s If You Think I’ve Changed, You’re Right and the title is taken directly from there.

wearing kindness
as a shield
for the fear of being forgotten

performing happiness
to keep the peace
for an uninterested audience

~ one hand clapping ~

setting things on fire
keeping warm
an unappreciated sacrifice

demanding more
to stoke the embers
until the field is full of ashes

low maintenance
(badge of honour)
boundaries not asserted

a tool on the shelf
cherished for function
once broken, to be forgotten

no longer building a house
just settling accounts
….

raising the price
putting value in place
a privilege reset

silence as an answer
is not absence
a space to be filled with love

bridges to the past
of approval over need
of popularity over peace
of convenience over comfort
need the river set on fire.