the tree, the tree
called out to me
not out loud
but quietly
please, please
come here, it said
your hungry soul
must be fed
there’s nourishment
inside me to fill
your emptiness
so just be still
vitality moves through
my trunk and leaves
touch me now
for your soul grieves
close your eyes
breathe, be calm
absorb my energy’s
healing balm
i’m not good at friendship
but we became friends
i’m not good at being reciprocal
but i tried
i’m not sure why
but i don’t need people
like they need me
you thought you knew me
but you never broke the surface
because i go deep
and i know myself
well enough
to know
you couldn’t dive
that deep
so, i didn’t take you there
we stayed on the surface
so you could be comfortable
there was something about me
that made you
uneasy
i could tell
sometimes, i wondered
if you thought
my depths
were dark,
they’re not
there’s light down there
it can be white-hot,
brilliant, blinding,
and hard for me to hold
it isn’t mine though
i’m just its keeper
i wanted to show you
but not any occasion would do
definitely not in casual conversation
or with others around
it’s too sacred
and you were never ready
to see
i moved away
you moved on
and i’ll always be sad
i couldn’t show you
the light
find your reflection
make your cheesiest grin
then, look up at the ceiling
and just start to spin
when you fall down
after a spin or two
you’ll laugh just enough
to forget you were blue
in the womb
of religion
i'm weightless
awash in the fluid
of another’s imagination
i’m birthed
warm and comfortable
tightly swaddled
in a cozy blanket of tales
voices echo around me
soothing my infant soul
into quiet dependency
rock-a-bye, don’t think
rock-a-bye, it’s real
you’re a broken human
only we can heal
in the arms
of religion
deeply i sleep
my eyes heavy
my childlike soul
trusting, believing, vulnerable
i tell myself
i want to be
in this embrace
forever
rock-a-bye, don’t stir
rock-a-bye, don’t see
we will decide
what you should be
i hear another voice
not without, but within
there is no echo
it’s quiet
and clear
foreign
yet familiar
i sink
within myself
to listen
wake up, you must think
let go of the zeal
it isn’t true
what they’ve told you is real
i’m afraid
i feel myself waking
i grasp for the comfort
the warmth
the familiar . . .
gone
my eyes blink open
it’s bright
i stand alone
and wonder
as if for the first time
who am i?
where am i?
what am i?
i hear the voice again,
my voice
now that you’ve stirred
now that you see
you must decide
what you will be
have you made friends
with your body?
what exercise does it like?
what food fuels it best?
what energizes it
and relaxes it?
can it stretch?
can it run?
can it dance?
oh, you’re not sure
well, friend,
if you don’t mind my saying . . .
you are still breathing
so it’s not too late
to discover
what an amazing friend
your body
can be
over and over,
again and again
i’m misunderstood
and it’s hard
because
the repetition
makes it easy
for me
to believe
that something
is very wrong
with me
maybe god crossed the wires
maybe i’ve got bad genes
maybe i’ll never amount
to anything
of value
to anyone
maybe,
i don’t matter . . .
the thoughts hurt
they cut
and sever
my ability
to accept myself
as i am
i hope
someday
i’ll find
the strength
to rewire my brain
to produce thoughts
strong enough
to save me
from a lifetime
of being
misunderstood
allow me to open
the door to me
nice and wide
for you to see
that though we’re different
as can be
vulnerability
will be the key
for you and i
to become a we
i never knew you
as i might have
if you’d been there
but i don’t blame you
for not knowing
how your choices
would ripple down
and affect my life
because nobody tells you that
so, i forgive you
and i hope
that my children
and my children’s children
will forgive me too
every morning the sun whispers
as it warmly kisses your skin:
“wake up beloved human,
here’s another chance to begin"
"i will never give up on you
i shine for you each day
i’m your biggest supporter
consistency is my way"
so, when you think you’ve lost your chance
and opportunities seem so few
feel my light touching your skin
and remember you can start anew”