By Elizabeth Harper

perfectionism slows me down
the prospect of the devastation
of making a mistake

slowness makes me wrong
the things that don’t get done
disasters by neglect

dirty sheets
destroyed liver
alcoholism
accumulated debt

irresponsibility by neglect
caused by feeling too responsible
too afraid of making a mistake

mistakes slow me down
overanalyzing, inability
to leave it in the past

to get past the trauma
of my own ineptitude
lack of foresight

unintentional, inevitable
blight, not original sin
but a quirk of the DNA

brain chemistry
myopia, inability
to get out of my head