By Margaret Jain

Keep me from
judging you
when I feel
that you have
shut me off
and dismissed me.

Keep me from
making you ugly
when I feel
unappreciated and
misunderstood.

Keep me from
closing my heart
against you, and against myself,
because I wanted to connect
with you
and didn't.

Keep me from
wanting to punish you
because we weren't connecting
at a certain moment
in time.

Keep me from
repeating this pattern
and making myself;
and you, wrong, again and again.
It was just a moment.
It is not this moment.