come in/go away

my doormat says “go away”
if one is standing
in the hall.
but when you’re leaving, it says
“come in”.

I keep most people
at arm’s length.
unless they invite themselves,
I don’t ask them
to come over.
if they do, I enjoy
their company
for a while, but it soon
palls. I grow restless, bored, tired
and long to be alone
with my thoughts
and my cats
and my life.

but some people
never grow stale.
with some people,
I never run out of things
to talk about. some souls
feel like home to me.
I never want them to leave,
and dream
of being with them
all the time. you seem
to be one of them.

it doesn’t have to
mean anything.
nothing really
has to change.

you can stand
out in the hallway
if you want; you can even
go away.
but know that
if you want to,
you are welcome to
come in.