Fear Yourself

It's you who makes your good and bad decisions

and there's lots of red pen on your tally chart

Right now you are the same person 

as the high school shy boy who had piano lessons

you are standing at the side of the road

waiting for a gap in the busy traffic with your headphones in

listening to a podcast about the fatal consequences

of not paying attention in busy traffic.

You are about to do an important work thing

how is the important work thing?

The people who love you keep asking and you tell them

not long now, not long until I'll be wearing 

my brand new clothes in front of everyone

and afterwards you write 'well done' on a post-it note.

Your ex-fiancee didn't phone to ask how it had gone

but maybe that doesn't matter now. 

It's a good feeling, getting undressed, knowing

you won't have to wear those clothes again.