Standards
Laura Zapico

I will not tolerate a man
who walks on his toes,
who thinks his jokes are funny,
who loads the dishwasher in a way
that will never get the dishes clean,
whose will I can bend
with emotional outbursts,
who cries when I am cruel.

I will not abide a man
who spells poorly,
who cannot change his oil,
who tells me he loves me
before I tell him,
whose mother taught him
everything he knows
and ever wants to know.

I will not endure a man
who tells me I’m pretty,
who thinks I’m amazing,
who treats me the way
I always wanted to be treated,
whose fragility shows
in the way he strives
to give me everything I need.