Why I Love Red Flags (a poem)
When I first started to date, I learnt to spot red flags.
I saw red flags in men who were late
I saw red flags in people who spoke rudely about their exes.
I saw red flags in men who cut me off mid-
But after a time, red flags appeared almost at random
I saw red flags in men who didn’t eat broccoli.
I saw red flags in men who liked Clockwork Orange.
I saw red flags in people with law degrees.
Soon, red flags appeared in places they shouldn’t have been,
Red flags on men who liked picnics.
Red flags on men who responded too quickly
Red flags on men who didn’t post on social media.
Before long, all I could see was red flags.
Red flags in hellos
Red flags in goodbyes
Red flags in silences.
Soon the absence of red flags was a red flag too.
So I gave up on red flags. And now I’m in love.
We live in a house in a street in a city
surrounded by a sea of
flying red flags.
