Forced
At 14 he told the same joke
Again, and again needing you
To laugh,
At sixteen she pleaded for you to love her
The way they love in books
Dedicated, like a Norwegian’s
Love for his lutefisk,
I wish I had learned to savor the goodness
To look the recurring nightmare in the eye
The good the wine has taught me Wins;
Lips visibly stained like a prostitute
The fourth glass was never the same as the first
Like a joke told one too many times