Eleven Days to Change Your Mind

When you figure out

That you made a mistake

You’re only going to get

Eleven days

To change your mind

I’m walking away

And the minute my left foot

Hits the white square

On the sidewalk

The clock starts

Now, some people

Only give you six days

A few give eight

But I am one of the generous

I am benevolent

I am allowing you

A full week and a half

To realize

That you’ve done something

Truly insane

I will take small steps

Away from you

In the event that it takes

Only seconds

For you

To understand

What you’ve done

I’ll saunter slowly

Hoping that the weight of your decision

Will hit you

Like a wave hits a surfer

And that you’ll be pulled under the water

The water being me

And you drowning

Being us

Falling in love

But if that does not happen

And if you do not chase after me

And if a day passes

And then another

And then another

And finally eleven

Eleven full days

Sun-up to sundown

And you still haven’t begged me

For forgiveness

Then I’ll probably

Have to delete your number

From my phone

And only drive by your house

Unintentionally

So that’s your window

Eleven days

And then I am officially gone

And never coming back

Because I will need to find love

In someone

Who does not make me wait

A week a half

To tell me

How badly

They’ve messed up

Not that I won’t be thrilled if—

Even on the morning

Of that eleventh day

--You show up at my door

Letting me know

That it was all a big mistake

And that you would’ve been there

On day one

Had you not, I don’t know,

Fallen while chasing after me

Thereby causing you

To hit your head

And slip into a coma

I’ll still love you

And nurture you

And make sure you get to your follow-up appointments

With the neurologist

Because I’m not here to punish

I’m here to love

And I’m happy to put that love on a shelf

For eleven days--

(Maybe twelve, but don’t push it)

--While all that confusion disappears

After all, everybody makes mistakes

And I’m fine with being a mistake

Your mistake

Your biggest mistake

The mistake you took eleven days

To rectify

Time is just a construct anyway

So really

What’s the difference

If you ask me to stay with you now

Or eleven days from now

Or a year from now

Not that I’ll wait a year

Because I won’t

I mean

I have

But I won’t again

Unless you need me to

But if you don’t

Then no

I won’t

Okay, so—

I’m walking away

And that means

The eleven days

Starts now

Unless you want to tell me to stop

In which case

We don’t have to bother with all that

Okay?

Okay

So…

I’m walking

I’m walking

I’m…walking

And the chance

To make this all right again

Starts…

…Now