I picked up on the phrase ‘impossible women’ in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager and ran with it…

If I were more cynical
I’d conclude that I am drawn
to ‘impossible’ women

distant
different
dissimilar—maybe even
dangerous or
dramatic

with intelligence, attractiveness
or sense of adventure
far beyond my own

What if they’re just mirroring back to me
my own impossibility

distance
difference
dissimilarity
danger and
drama

being factors of insecurity
cultivated over years
projected onto my reflection

as it sinks under the weight
of its own expectations

(13 December 2016)