Expected to smile

Expected for a while

Expected on time

Expected not to whine

Expected to look and say and listen and be

Expected to meet the criteria.

I expect

To be let down

Again?  Yeah again

To be criticized for being me

To hear the whispers

To see the looks

To wish in one hand and shit in the other

To answer the call

Only to fall

For the same old bullshit yet again

And I do

I expected

For a while

For the veiled lame promises

To maybe come true

But only halfway

And I wasn’t surprised 

When nothing ever did

I expect

Cat hair on my black pants

To jump and run

At the slightest notice

To remember my coffee

Only a few hours later

I expect to fail

I expect to learn

I expect the unexpected 

And to be able to hide all traces

Of disappointment