Lament for Nice Guy

I look at the next profile and there you are again

Not the same person, but it’s still you

Single mother of one, two or three

Five, ten or fifteen years after you met the jerk

 

You don’t really desire me or long for me

But you NEED a nice guy

Someone you can count on, someone who helps, someone who likes children

 

Five, ten or fifteen years ago you wouldn’t have given me the time of day

Nothing exciting there

Nice guy; friendly, reliable and kind

Faithful to God, believes in freedom, serves his country

A loser in your book

 

A loser to life as well

I stood there holding a shield of integrity, trying to protect what is good from the hammer blows of life

How many times would a gentle, caring hand have helped soothe my burden?

It wasn’t a task you were interested in

The jerk was so much more enticing

 

Half a second later and I’m looking at another profile

It’s you again

Different eyes, different face, different hair, but still you

Another glance, another half of a second, and another profile

 

Looking back over the path of my life, I notice it now

Like a trail of saw dust from lumber rubbing away or the grit from a granite boulder pounded from a succession of sledge hammers

First an “E”, then the “C”, followed by “I” and finally the “N”

The shield remains and of course life still pounds against it

But five, ten or fifteen years have collected their toll.

 

Reviews

[Helena Parris]

Great piece. And so many girls do this! In my single days, I admired the bad boys from a safe distance, but I GREW UP before I got involved with anybody! It drove my husband nuts when he was younger, watching the girls get entangled with the bad boys, always saying the same thing: I can change him! Which, of course, was the same thing the last girl said...

[J.Black]

This is constructed beautifully. I think, personally, that every woman is at fault for over seeing the good men out there. I can say so from experience and looking back after a few years how things "could have" or "should have" been. Eventually, after some time, (usually when it's too late), they grow old and come to the realization of this problem at hand. Just like you state: "Single mother of one, two or three" .. with my emphasis on the word 'single'. Sure, you in fact may have 'not' been that man- but every woman does deserve to have a nice guy and be treated with the respect that she deserves. I don't know what it is about the "mean" type of men, but there must be something that all woman feel attracted to. Perhaps it's that feeling of "protection"... which is a terrible way to look at things, because walls are meant to be broken down- in order to let love in. This is probably why it didn't last as long. After the "good" girls are abused, no "nice" man wants to pick up his sloppy seconds- the one he destroyed. In other words, I AGREE with you- it's VERY unfair to the good men out there. Always last. I'm not a guy, haha, but I can feel your pain mentally because my mentality is on the same page. Well written.

[L]

I find in life we all have to play this roll from time to time. And then its to late for those who
cast our emotions on the floor for some fool who, in the end, failed to hold their heart safe.
You have captured the emotion of being the nice guy quite well.

~L~

[Paladin4life]

Wow this is an awesome work. I love this poem. How very true it is that the women of this world look over the nice guys for our adventursome yet uncaring brethren. In the end they all come to the place where they realize a nice guy would be great to have. How sick I am of getting the left overs and the scraps that the bad boys leave behind. I think the good guy should get to have the girl before she gets all scarred and broken from the bad guy. This is a great work. Thanks for giving a voice to the nice guy! God bless!
Paladin4life