I Do Not Love You

I do not love you
Like they think I should
No rapid heartbeat
No fireworks
No music in the air

Instead you point a gun
At my head
And tell me to say
“I love you”
But I don’t

I don’t care
If you pull the trigger
This is the one thing
You cannot have

 Teri Buford O’Shea

(Teri Buford O’Shea was a frequent contributor to the jonestown report. Her other poems in this edition include Deitrick and Homecoming. Information about her recently-published book Jonestown Lullaby – from which this poem is taken – appears here. Her previous writings appear here.)