don't tell me

the dangers of making friends with a writer

don’t tell me.
I don’t mean to share
but when I hear a story,
it enters me,
I polish it until it gleams,
wrap it in cellophane
and give it a place of honor
in public.
you won’t be attached to it,
not anymore. I don’t want to trap
you into indiscreet disclosures,
but stories are motivation
and motivation breeds character
and the words in my head
need to be let out.
so, unless you want to see
just how I will disguise your life,
don’t tell me.
I won’t know that I’ve done it
until you read me
and see the now polished gems
I took and changed from
your life.

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