TALKING BLIND

.

YOU AND I

.

I explain quietly. You

hear me shouting. You

try a new tack. I

feel old wounds reopen.

.

You see both sides. I

see your blinkers. I

am placatory. You

sense a new selfishness.

.

I am a dove. You

recognize the hawk. You

offer an olive branch. I

feel the thorns.

.

You bleed. I

see crocodile tears. I

withdraw. You

reel from the impact.

.

Roger McGough