Diptych for a Middle-Aged Introvert
written in the aftermath of divorce and finally learning the language of
What I Don’t Want
His left arm deadweight after sex
Managing his prescriptions, his moods
The text: Your father passed at 3:12 a.m.
A boss: Try smiling more in meetings
Photos of my brothers together, oblivious
Email threads where I’m dismissed
Garage, mildew swallowing old books
Dinners with women who call me brave
Group texts unraveling into culture war
The Augusta Canal Towpath, still closed
Her voice cold: We can’t pursue this
Another year of touch deprivation, alone
What I Do Want
His hand signing the settlement
Time enough to coax tomatoes into ripening
The news, Scientists cure Alzheimer’s
A boss, I’d trust you with anything
Family photos before we knew better
Email threads, Thank you for seeing this
Canoe, algae singing the Little Miami River
A Sunday with no obligations, free
Group texts of birdsong IDs and poems
A heron sentineled in the fog, perfectly still
Her voice soft, I like walking with you
Our shoulders brush, she doesn’t pull away
Candice M. Kelsey (she/her) is a bi-coastal writer and educator. Her work has received Pushcart and Best-of-the-Net nominations, and she is the author of eight books. Candice reads for The Los Angeles Review and The Weight Journal; she also serves as a 2025 AWP Poetry Mentor.