'Fool for Love' by Heidi Hermanson

I love you like the lawnmower

loves the grass. The less

I see of you,

the better off I am.

You look beautiful but

I know about the dirt

you harbor. I loved

you like a singing bird,

happily perched. Your response

was…nothing. Can’t you

hear me? Please talk

to me, I begged

you. You move

silently, before you turn

away. So—I’m mowing

my lawn, sweating

a bit, and decide the shrubs

still need trimming too. I’ll need

my clippers, brand new,

hardware-store-approved

and shiny, probably in

anticipation of clipping

a few hearts.

I head to the shed.

When I open the door

I see pink ribbons

and a box of chocolate

where I usually lay the clips.

At this point I can

no longer stand it. I try

to slam the shed door shut

but apparently it’s on some

kind of pneumatic device

that will not let it shut.

From behind the shed

comes a line of male

dancers nattily attired,

1920s style. They’re singing

He loves you, he loves you

not as they pluck off

the respective petals

on the daisies! Once

again, I am caught

between a rock (the one

on my hand) and a hard

place (mostly in my mind). That’s

because when someone

changes the rules capriciously

and at whim, over and over, you

have no choice but to let

your mind slip through

the cracks. It’s simpler

that way. Did I tell you

I was a fool for love?

Copyright. Heidi Hermanson.

Heidi Hermanson is a first-generation Nebraskan. Upon finding herself with an abundance of time due to covid-19, she is documenting and photographing nearby rivers and cemeteries. A recipient of both the Nebraska Book Award and the Arts Council Fellowship. she organized the first Poets' Chautauqua at the State Fair, aspires to found a library of towns that no longer exist, and learn dialects of the 17-year cicada. Her books are Waking to the Dream (Stephen Austin University Press, 2018) and Cocktails with God (forthcoming from Finishing Line Press). She received her MFA from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2008.