Scissors, no threads.

I know how to cut people out of my life
You simply guide the scissors about the outline of their memory
careful to cut as closely as possible,
the fewer the scraps you'll deal with later
clean-up can be a bitch.

It's difficult cutting people from your fabric
as certain threads are sure to have become knotted--
entwined with the fabric of other people
people you wish to keep in your cloth.
It's never as clean as you would wish for
But this is an art, not a craft.

You must dispose of the unwanted sections as quickly as possible
lest they fray and leave threads hanging about your daily life
cast over the chair in your living room,
clinging to the rug on your floor
waiting to pop up on your new sweater the next time you step out

that first cut was so terrifying
i was afraid of the scissors, so sharp and pointy, you see
i did not want to damage the person being excised
But then my cloth looked so much better after she had gone
and pruning season had begun.

I know how to cut people out of my life.

How to Become Vulnerable

I wish I had a better answer to that title. Quick to share stories from my life, I rarely share the emotions that swim beneath them. I remember being shocked when a man I was once dating told me how very invulnerable I was; he thought he was giving me some sort of strange compliment, telling me how refreshing it was to find himself dating someone who wasn't baring her soul. I was horrified that to learn that my stories didn't translate into vulnerability...
I've only been in two relationships that could possibly be called "long-term", and in replaying conversations, I realize now that I was loath to share any hint of the intensity of my emotions. I suppose much of myself is still trapped in junior high, afraid to reveal a crush to the wrong person, allow someone to seize upon the weakness of such a revelation. I have no difficulty attracting people, but keeping them around seems to be a task for which I'm ill-suited. It's not that they learn of skeletons in my closet, it's that I never let them past the front door. Sharing "shocking" stories from my past serves as sustenance enough for some time, but after the appetizers, people want real food. And I always leave them hungry.

So, any tips on becoming vulnerable, blog people?