Trust Me

I tell you trust isn't something I lend
like a new book you know damn well
will never be returned. It isn't something
I save on my shelf, waiting to give away.
It's more like a person I don't want to introduce.

You could try to find and kidnap him,
but that's not how trust works. And besides,
there's no way you can catch him:

Trust wears nondescript, gray blazers,
cuts his hair short, shines his shoes,
but not enough to draw attention.
He sits quietly in a cafe, sipping a latte,
looks at a laptop screen, pretending
there's something interesting there.
He does not talk. He is a quiet observer,
an avid eavesdropper, an undercover agent.
Trust doesn't go home to the wife and kids,
nor does he have a lover.
Trust travels alone.

Do I want to shower with you?
Are you kidding me?

-Katherine Gotthardt