‘Sidewalk Sincerity’ and Other Poems by Russel Winick

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Sidewalk Sincerity

“Hi—how are you?” he said to me,
A friendly thing to say,
I answered just as cordially,
But he had walked away.

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Evolution

I love to have close relatives and numerous good friends,
Maintaining each relationship so that it never ends.
But in a move reflective of maturity and growth—
Those who have been ungrateful, unappreciative, or both,
Folks largely unresponsive as if I should never mind,
The people often critical, or even worse, unkind,
Who say things that long afterward I still find myself ruing,
The ones who talk about themselves and don’t ask how I’m doing,
Those having no desire to get together I can see,
Or otherwise whose actions indicate they don’t like me—
Since they all sadly offer little now that would be missed,
It’s with regret that I delete them from my Contacts List.

But burgeoning acquaintances, new friends and family are
All added over time, and bring more happiness by far.

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More and More

More and more I’ve come to learn
I’m not all people’s cup of tea,
But now that’s less of a concern
As more and more I’m pleased with me.

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Russel Winick recently started writing poetry after ending a long legal career. He resides in Naperville, Illinois.