The novel I’m reading involves a man
desperate to become a better person.
He believes all his pointless little lies will,
if not bite him in this life, make his existence
in the next realm an unsavoury one.
He decides to stop saying It’s fine when
people accidentally step on his toes,
or No worries when his friends are late
to meet up or I’m good when he feels
like his skin is not his. It made me think,
which is odd, because I’m not reading a novel.

© Carl Burkitt 2023