It Was in Primitive Times that Doctors
Used to Bleed Patients to Heal Them
A message from my ventricle, the left
One, filled with fiercely colored blood, you shoved
Away. You did it bluntly, nothing deft
About it. Brutal, your words were not gloved
For mildness. They were made for heavyweight
Ring boxing, suitable for pain, not love.
Not that men and women can separate
The two. The problem is you’re not above
Harsh coarseness in “sincerity,” for so you
Call it. I’m not allowed to censure your
Crude thoughtlessness in speech. That would be too
Fair. If I speak my truth, that’s deemed impure.
You’re great on honesty, but what I need
Are words that heal, not ones that make me bleed.