Adventures in Literary Esoterica

Literally

"I was so embarrassed, I literally died."

It begins with an itch at the base of my brain stem,
creeping, crawling up into my cerebral cortex,
and whispering all the while,
"Really? You literally died?"

I know what will happen when I correct her;
everyone will tell me to lay off and relax.
But I also know that if she were literally dead,
she wouldn't be here to tell us this story at a party.

The eye rolls come in a great wave;
I'll be branded with the scarlet "P" of the pedant for this,
but it's a badge I wear with pride. Literally.

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Word Count: 11

Form: Free Verse

Prompt: Write a love poem to a bad habit.

Written for: "PromptMaster !"