careless words

in the night

maybe the middle of it

i awoke and felt like shit

knowing how i misspoke

with an ill-advised joke

about me and a tree,

a bum hip

and two wounded knees,

and please

know that life can be a bitch

being a snitch

or even while on the up and up

wearing a catcher's cup

to protect the balls.

no more falls

might be the best

on the romantic test

with a score above zero on a sliding scale

between serious woman and inept male

timing my shot

hoping for more than what i got

without being greedy

or, in the worst case, being needy

and alone

with no way to atone

for careless words perhaps like above,

less frivolous and more infused with love.