After Duplex by Jericho Brown

My therapist tells me I’m allowed to call myself a success.

My father tells me don’t suffer fools.

            My father’s advice doesn’t account for me feeling like a fool.
           I don’t know whose advice to follow, so instead, I check my horoscope every Wednesday.

Whenever I’m infatuated with someone, I check their horoscope every Wednesday.
My father says close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

            I like a bit of distance so I only have crushes on faulty hand grenades.
            They explode and I pretend to be surprised.

I implode and I pretend to be surprised.
My therapist says, to change my perspective on love, it’ll only take one person to show up.

            What if I’m that one person and I don’t show up?
            What if I show up and it’s just like my father, my therapist, and my horoscope said?

What if I show up as a fool and it’s nothing like we said?
I call myself a success and a fool all at once.

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Chloe Adams (she/her) is a poet and educator in Northern California. She writes poetry about mental health, navigating romance, and exploring familial identity. Chloe has been previously published in Free Verse Revolution, Querencia Press, Driplitmag, and Pile Press. You can connect with her further at @chloes1amwrites on Instagram.