No One
likes to be marinated
nor boiled down to one hard word
my Momma kept my hair clipped
for her convenience
shorn
and exposed
like a boy
excuse me SON
he said
I'm not a boy
I said
he repeated the offending sentence
I"M NOT A BOY
I yelled
and quickly off-ended
the offending shin
limping away
he remembered
I'm an OLD SOUL
I whispered tightly
under my sucked-in breath
offenders must not make a show
I gave him a sweet
in the shape of my heart
he did not know
it was my heart
and so he laughed
valentines
are the fools
of fifteen year olds
who have the hearts
of elephants
and the illusions
of butterflies
and the hope
of a hummingbird
testing each flower
for the nectar
of love
but
craving only one
I was a GIRL
in his eyes
slant eyes needing glasses
a correction that would never
have allowed him to see
who was in front of him
not a girl
but a capacity great
for love
the sweet being its
frail melting offering
years later
the wife
not the competition
using the same word to
outline my existence
I'm not a GIRL
I never was one
didn't have the chance to be
look at me
wear your glasses
I AM
the OLD SOUL
I think you need
correction.
LEGAL COPYRIGHT FOR THIS POEM WRITTEN DIRECTLY TO THE PAGE
5:05 AM PST AUGUST 2 2021 TIME AND DATE STAMPED
AND ALSO FOR THIS POET MELISSA A HOWELLS
AND ALSO FOR THIS LEGALLY REGISTERED AND COPYRIGHTED
SITE TITLE NAME: MELOO STRAIGHT FROM HER TILT-A-WORLD