THE COMPLAINER

Before you begin, let me complain:
I begin to feel tension
whenever you walk into a room.
And here’s why. You complain.
You gripe. You grumble.
Too much and too many times …
biting, barking, scratching, clawing,
muttering grunts and nasty comments
about politics and politicians,
traffic, religion – or lack of religion.
It seems you don’t like people
who are different or look different.

Well, let me tell you something:
You make me nervous because
it seems you go around trying
to round up vocations to your
way of life: “Come follow me!”
Well, I don’t want to walk with you.
In fact, I want to avoid you.
And when I am stuck with you,
I find myself inwardly complaining,
griping, grumbling about you.

Now, is this what you want?
Is that why you complain?
Is it complainers like me
who make complainers like you
or are we both in a vicious circle?
Well, I don’t like you and
I don’t like myself when
I’m complaining. So why
do we do this to ourselves?
It’s a cliché, but is all this
simply all about,
“Misery wanting company?”

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2011