Waiting for the Perfect Man
A woman waiting for the perfect man,
though she was far from perfect, had a list
of qualities a man must have. Her plan
to claim perfection could not be dismissed;
on certain traits, she simply must insist.
When she was thirty-five and still alone,
her long list for the perfect man was still
unyielding like a mantra set in stone.
There surely was one man who could fulfill
her dreams. So far, no one had filled the bill!
“I feel my list is fair, one I should keep!”
she said—at forty. Then, one Christmas Day,
while sitting at the park, she fell asleep
and dreamed her skeleton was on display
on that park bench. So lonely, there it lay.
She wakened with a start and realized
the meaning of the dream. She cleared her mind
of her long-held requirements. A revised,
much shorter one replaced it—one more kind.
At last, she hoped a good man she would find.
Janice Canerdy is a retired high-school English teacher from Potts Camp, Mississippi. Her poems have appeared in numerous publications: anthologies by Quill Books, Mississippi Poetry Society, the National Federation of State Poetry Societies, journals and magazines: Westward Quarterly, Lyric, Lighten Up Online, Saturday Evening Post, and more. She has had two books published: Expressions of Faith (Christian Faith Publishing, 2016, out of print) and From Serious to Slapstick~~Poems Like Life (Mississippi Poetry Society, Inc., 2024). She is an active member of the Mississippi Poetry Society, Inc.
That was a fortuitous dream. I hope she found that good man. Thanks for the enjoyable read, Janice.
Russel, I’m so glad you enjoyed the poem! Thank you.
Life can be lonely when one seeks and waits for perfection as you have shown us. No one is perfect, except in a dream.
So true, Roy. Thank you for responding to my poem!
A nicely crafted set of quintains. And the rhymes are perfect.
This poem could be read as a comic piece (it has its humorous side), or as a monitory exemplum, as they used to say. If the latter, then the poem is basically saying “Don’t be picky, honey, or you’ll have nobody to pick.”
The last line, however, adds a touch of disappointing preachiness to the poem. OK, the speaker wants “a good man.” But that might not be the only qualification on which to make a choice. How about a smart man, an intelligent man, a working man, a stable man, a financially secure man, a sympathetic man? A “good man” might be good, but also a jerk.
Hi, Joseph, thank you for the positive feedback~~for the parts that aren’t “preachy.” 🙂
The other men you named could also be jerks, could they not? Anyway, the only suggestion you gave that doesn’t mess with my meter is “smart.” Must not tamper with the METER! LOL
Seriously, thanks for responding to my poem.
As has been said and often repeated: Don’t let the perfect become the enemy of the good.
I like this poem. All we can hope for is to be good and this is well expressed, Janice.
Thanks for the read.
I enjoyed this poem, Janice. A realistic list is fine if it’s flexible enough to include those who are flawed, which is everyone, but who otherwise might be a worthy and compatible match. Thanks for the enjoyable and thought-provoking read.
A timely subject. Hours of YouTube footage is out there documenting young women’s unrealistic standards for men — I have observed it firsthand myself (and I consider myself lucky to have found a woman not trapped in that mindset). You provide the clear answer. I would love to see this poem distributed to young women en masse.
A very good point, Adam. Several of the many critiques of gender feminism have pointed out that young women today ape the habits of sexually promiscuous males of their own age group, by aggressively giving themselves to as many alpha male lovers as they can get. But when they are thirty-five they have the unpleasant surprise of finding out that the other males whom they rejected with contempt are no longer particularly interested in them. As Catullus aptly notes, nobody wants a “puella defututa.” Karma can bite you in the ass, as the saying goes!
Good exchange of dreams, Janice, because of a Christmas gift dream, no less!
Thanks for this enjoyable poem. From stuff I’ve seen on youtube, there are indeed a lot of women who set a very high bar for what they find acceptable. The lady in your poem had an epiphany. I hope she found her Mr Right – in real life, apparently, all too many end up alone except for a cat.