Vermilion

 I've never been good
At recognizing red flags...
Maybe it's a condition...
We'll call it
A kind of
Psychological color blindness...
I've tended towards
Choosing partners
Who needed "saving"...
Classic White Knight Syndrome...
Didn't even realize I was doing it...
Except in hindsight...
When the inevitable 
Once again
Ended in disaster...
Like clockwork in its pseudo-biorhythm...
You can't save someone else,
Emotionally or psychologically...
You can't make them change...
But you can save yourself,
Your own psychological and emotional
Wellbeing...
I never really thought about
Being stable
In those areas...
Was getting used to letting
My emotions,
And my attempts to
Use logic to control them,
Guide my actions.
Just surfing the madness...
Much like I allowed myself
So many times
To be carried by the wind
To who knows where...
It's dragged me a across the country...
So many new tales to tell
Over three decades
Since the last novel...
Adventure is usually exciting...
But it's also distracting...
I've got to focus
On my own wellbeing...
Save myself...
Take control of my life...
Streamlined and aerodynamic,
So I can control
Where it is that I glide to next...
And with what tools...
Mindfulness...
Focused Intent...
Resolution...
And a more finely tuned 
Recognition
And appreciation 
For vermilion hues...
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