Today I walked
With a dear friend
Wondering if he could be more than that
Today I walked
With a stack of books in my arms
Wishing someone would take it away
He didn’t offer to
And I didn’t insist
Today I walked
In a huff
Angered at his lack of chivalry
Today I walked
All the way home and thought
Would I have acquiesced if he had asked
Or would I have enjoyed denying him the chore
Proud to assert my independence
Today I reached home
Angered at his lack of tact
In denying me this pleasure of denial…
the right to choose…
to register dissent.