The Minefield

Complimenting women is really all about

Removing branches of interpretation that leaf in self doubt

Without the words becoming too many or too much – that is, emphatic –

Which might come off aggressive, or she might take as sarcastic,

So I might want to put it off, but then she might feel she's left hanging,

and I'll have to do it all again, and I've just doubled my planning.

Out of the three Fs – family, friends, and foods – she's 4-F – fun.

I might someday call her 'girlfriend', but I can't now call it “love.”

The movies say “be honest. Just tell her how you feel.”

I do my best to avoid war metaphors, but she's a minefield.