i should have known

when the soda bottle cap

rolled across the filthy street

in that overcrowded city

 

and i ran to collect it, shopping bags waving

because i couldn’t get on the subway

with the bottle still open

and the heat was fierce

 

i should have known

when i picked it up, put it right back on top

regardless, and found myself thinking

things like “oh well, if i get sick

at least i’ll have a few full days

to rest…”

 

i should have known

that my wellbeing was teetering

on edge, that burnout

was grasping with bony fingers

imminent

 

i should have known then

—but now i do

 

and i have learned to watch

for signs of warning

much sooner than these

 

            –wherever you are in this wide, wide world

                take care of your own heart, too

 

heather pound 2024

Photo by Akash Dey on Unsplash