They Ask Me

They ask me,
When I write a poem of sorrow,
How is it that I am sad,
For I wear the smiles of tomorrow?

They ask me,
If they, by chance, see my tears,
Why do I worry,
When I have no cause for fears?

They ask me,
They ask me,
And I would tell them – I could –
(It hardly matters, if I should -)

But how do I explain
The years that pile on grief,
Little memories of deep wounds
That never brought relief,

How a father abused,
And bullies snatched my share,
How society points fingers,
How some malign, how some glare,

How the men I loved
Left me, for who I became,
And how, instead of shaming them,
I took almost all the blame,

How just when I feel at ease,
With the weight of difference I carry,
A sister feels she must lie,
When she makes her plans to marry,

How straight people have rights,
How my mother forgets my love,
How my country condemns me,
How I gave up every god above?

They tell me,
You still shine bright like a star –
And I know, I twinkle,
Because all they want is to watch me from afar.

If We Ever

If we ever stop talking,
Just send me a song;
Convey your emotion;
This way won’t take long.

There will be a tune
And the lyrics will soothe:
They’ll talk of the moon
And ease my mood.

I’ll read between lines;
I’ll imagine your face;
It’ll tell me things
That earn you grace.

I’ll hear your reasons,
In moments of rhyme;
And music will guide me,
Back and forth through time.

And when you do speak,
The hurt won’t be so strong;
So, if we ever stop talking,
Just send me a song.

They

They come with caresses,
With promises of lies,
Maybe then they don’t know
What they started, dies;
They come with hope and more,
Ambition and desire,
They write “always” in texts,
With fast fingers on fire.
They may think they do mean
All that they type and say,
They may even believe
Their professed love will stay.
But little do they know,
In time, they all shall sleep,
While I struggle with all
They have failed to keep.