Crossed Wires

‘Mixed messages are just part and parcel of the romantic terrain,
and rather than berate yourself for any crossed wires,
you’d do better to work on your future resilience.’
- Mariella Frostrup

Spotting this sign
brought to mind crossed wires;
the misinterpreted comment,
the trying to be funny
but it coming out all wrong,
the laugh in the wrong place,
the lost temper
the last straw
the slam of the door,
the huffiness and rancour
that, really,
there was no need for,
the silence
that hung in the air
when there was nothing good to say.

Though, sometimes,
when we’ve got nothing good to say,
we say it anyway.