Previously on my poetry journey inspired by Taylor Swift’s folklore album, I featured a piece for the track “the last great american dynasty.”

We See What We Want

I.
honey, how could you leave me high and dry like
we never meant a thing? and now you’re with a man
who leans close to hear you whisper words of love
like you once did with me. I see how you smile
when he talks, how you throw your head back
to laugh like you never did with me. I see
how he pulls out your chair and gently guides you
to your seat as if you’re a child that can’t manage.
but you seem to like that. is this what you wanted all along?

II.
honey, how could you never figure it out, like every
word I said never meant a thing? and now you stand
in the door of the bar, fingers flexing like you finally
get it. but it’s too late now, and I’m leaving out the side
door. I see how you cry for a woman you lost so long
ago and only just realized you’re in mourning.
I see that look of disdain that tells me you haven’t
entirely figured it out. maybe I shouldn’t have expected
you to read my mind, but you should have been able
to all the same. after all, I gave you every sign.
don’t you know what I wanted all along?

The song “exile” is such a beautifully heartbreaking duet between Taylor Swift and Bon Iver. Since that’s the case, it only felt right to write a poem from dual points of view. Each voice gets their own stanza, but neither one ever sees what happens with the other.

That’s the blindness of miscommunication. Each one wants to blame the other for things falling apart. But ultimately, they both played a hand in the demise of their relationship. One wanted the other to read their mind. And the other never paid enough attention to notice that something was wrong.

I’ve seen this kind of dynamic plenty of times. In fact, I recognize this behavior from being a chronic people pleaser. When you work so hard to always be everything to everybody, you become overly attuned to many forms of unspoken language and expect everyone to be just as hyper aware. And when they’re not, it feels like they have zero consideration. But it’s unfair to expect others to know what you want.

Thanks for following along! Leave comments and let me know what you think.