The Jungle

I said something stupid to Emily,
last week. I write her an email
to apologize. My regret is sincere
but I keep the tone lighthearted,
because after all I need
to sleep, tonight.
I joke at the end that
like Jorge in The Jungle,
"I will work harder!"
(This cavalier tone is probably
A Mistake. I make enough of them
to know.)
She sends a reply reminding me
how serious this is
and how easy it would be
to hurt her. I already know.
She must not have read
The Jungle. If I thought she had,
I never would have included
the quote. It's what Jorge says
every time he's about to take
the world on his shoulders,
to protect
the people that he loves.
(The reader knows this is
A Mistake. Perhaps Jorge does
as well.) I know I should
reply to Emily, tonight,
but instead I turn out
the lights. Like Jorge,
I take my sleep in
the small places I can find it.

XX---