Milly

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It was not your birthday card that I spent an hour
chosing in the market
that upset you;
it was that the envelope was too red
suggesting I was overbearing.

The fact that instead of sealing it I tucked it in
like a schoolboy's shirt in church
suggested a lack of respect
for your privacy.

Because I had written your name in pencil
instead of permanent marker
it suggested to you that I would not
stick around for long;
that I had something to hide.

The lack of symmetry in the M
meant that I break the rules
the rounded archers were too tall and wide
which you told me meant I was too extrovert
for your taste.

You told me I dotted the i
like there was something that remained unsaid
and demanded to know where I had been
last Friday.

"You cannot commit" you said
citing the second l
which bared no relationship
to the first.
When you looked closer you told me the ls
were too close together
and wondered whether I had been neglected
as a child.

The y looped like a tricky winger;
it showed I was deceptive
and trying to be someone
I was not.
You looked at it and realised
I hadn't recorded Holby City for you
like I'd promised