Petty by J.C. O'Neil

Hey, Tom,
I know this may sound petty, but
you have to stay out of my speakers for a while.

You see, there was this American girl
who had me runnin’ down a dream,
free fallin’ everytime we got in the car.
She turned me on to you
and I can’t get her image out of my head.
That picture of her in those cut offs and white tank top,
her head tilted back, letting her hair drape down the back of the se—

Damn it, Tom! There you go again.

You wreck me. Stop draggin’ my heart around,
please.
You’ve got me feeling like a refugee
and I need to know where to find serenity.

Can’t you have a change of heart?
and just let me be?

Don’t do me like that, man.
You don’t know how it feels
when a girl like that,
has a thing about you
and will listen to her heart.

And even the losers like me
won’t back down.
I know it’s time to move on
from this angel dream,
and believe me, Tom,
I’m trying to move on
before I have another breakdown


because an asshole like me,
badly damaged by love,
isn’t built to last.

So I’m counting on you,
depending on you,
don’t bring me down.
I don’t want to fight,
just don’t come around here no more
and I’ll feel a whole lot better.

J.C. O'Neil is a writer living in Cheswick, PA. He studied English Writing at the University of Pittsburgh in Greensburg. Between balancing work life, writing life, and family life (a beautiful wife, a sassy three year old, and fearless one year old) he's managed to have his poetry published by the Mad Poets Society and his stories in the Authors' Tale Anthology series.