All he had heard
His whole life
Is how bad he was
And how he would
Never amount to anything,
Until one person came along
And showed him that
There was more to life,
That words didn’t have to hurt,
A wonderful new world of
Love and kindness
Unfolded before him,
Renewing his spirit and
His belief in himself.
The alternative to
Aggression,
Strife,
Anger,
Vengeance,
Hate,
War,
Competitiveness,
Injustice,
Brokenness,
Sadness,
All the tangled
Complications
Wrought by humankind,
Is always there,
Waiting patiently.
Love.
Love for self.
Love for others.
Love for all living beings.
Love for the planet.
Love for the universe.
All-encompassing,
All-healing,
Love.
Stop getting
Your love
All over me.
It doesn’t feel great to
Have layers of
Pain thrust upon me,
Expectant eyes
Imploring that I
Return the favor.
Modest house on
Tree-lined street,
Unassuming hodgepodge,
Practical apartments,
Utilitarian dwellings,
Tidy to a point.
Bike ride up arduous hills,
Humid air invigorating
Youthful lungs,
Blue sky contentment.
Knock on door,
Heartily welcomed.
On his deathbed,
He croaks out something
That sounds like,
“I love you,” to his
Daughter, having been
Unable to express it at
Any other time,
A sadly hollow gesture
That would have
Meant much more if
He had had the courage
To say it along the way.
You could have just told me that
You didn’t want to see me any
Longer instead of inviting me to
The party so I could be an
Eyewitness to the horrifying
Spectacle of you greatly enjoying
Someone else’s company.
It might have saved my heart from
Hemorrhaging behind a freakishly
Plastered-on smile and compulsive,
Frail attempts at humor.
Spasming, freshly wounded.
An excruciatingly unwelcome moment for
Someone who so desperately needs to
Be loved. The unwavering stare of flowering
Affection, the heightened awareness,
Euphoric rush intermingled with boundless
Expectation. The last look, final embrace,
A beautiful story relegated to the past
Before it commences, a memory to be
Replayed yearningly, repeatedly.
I didn’t realize at the time
That my being was being
Crushed, image manipulated,
Distorted into disbelief.
Moving hesitantly, beseeching
Help for the most simple of tasks,
Waiting for approval that never came,
Tremors of self-doubt enduring.
Erase my horizons, tell me there
Is no sunrise. I’ll come along,
Heart exposed, eager to please,
Unwitting accomplice.
A lucid dream in a school
Where I didn’t want to be, with
People I didn’t want to know,
Studying at the last minute for a
Test I was unprepared to take,
Trying desperately to enjoy a
Shared second with you.
Tried to talk but kept getting
Interrupted by unwelcome classmates,
Teachers, interlopers unaware,
Visitors arriving unsolicited, another
Instant of closeness interrupted.
A comedy of errors and heightened
Frustration. Perish the moment.
