Collection of Poetry - 12. Opposites Attract

Opposites Attract?

You were a fiery idealist
And I was a gentle cynic
You saw the best in people
I saw the crippling flaws

You said you would die for me
I told you not to be foolish
You said we were soulmates
I told you there was no such thing

You said it was fate
Me – coincidence
You said you would die if I did
I said I would grieve, and move on

We loved each other
But you saw our fights as leaks to be fixed
And I saw them as a natural part of our relationship
You cried rivers of tears and I grieved in silence

You wanted a knight in shining armor
I wanted a man who was down to earth
You had unwavering faith in humanity
I had unwavering faith in myself

You wore rose-colored glasses
And I was jaded
You liked romantic comedies
And I liked tragedies

We drifted apart
I was sad and tried to move on
You wrote poetry and felt you had known true loss
I shook my head

I went to law school
And made six figures a year
You went to Cambodia
And saw true suffering

We met again last year
At a mutual friend’s house
I was tired, but successful
You were tired, and burnt out

The difference?
I expected nothing from people
And you expected everything
You couldn’t handle the truth