You See Me

My body was pressed against the wall.
“Wallflower,” I was called.
Invisible, I had hoped to be.
But there you stood in front of me,
Gazing so meticulously.

You saw my eyes, my lips, my hair.
You saw my body standing there
And wondered why I sought to stand still in camouflage as others roamed free,
And why I failed to engage in conversation and chose to be
A work of art that none could tell apart from the scenery.

Take this Time to Say

Happy Birthday!
This day is very special because you celebrate it in a new way -
In relationship with me.
It is as if our relationship was always meant to be.

Although 54 years have passed,
We’ve come together at last,
To fulfill our purpose and destiny,
In the course of events that would happen inevitably.

In a classroom of smiling faces,
You were drawn to me who had no trace
Of one,
And so our journey together then had begun.

Shrouded in loneliness,
I felt helpless and powerless,
Dissatisfied with a life of emotional pain,
Exhausted by my spirit drained.

Although I was just a young adolescent,
I was cold, stoic, and silent.
My heart had been tortured
Yet, my spirit cried out to be nurtured.

You alone heard me.
You reached out and touched me.
You played in my hair
And made me aware
That although I was at the end of my rope,
I still had life, and as long as I breathe, I have hope.

You fondled my heart with your fingertips and shocked it back into rhythm,
Which enlightened my mind to search for a new algorithm.
My words then were fleeting and few.
But let me take this time to say, “Thank you!”

1972

Yes, it’s true.
We graduated from high school in 1972.
Since then, 50 years have passed.
We survived and reunited for a blast.

Over time we’ve gotten older, a privilege denied so many.
But it’s not taken for granted. We’re thankful for years aplenty.
We’ve aged like fine wine
And have gotten better over time.

We’ve dealt with sickness, sadness, and have laid loved ones to rest.
Yet, we still stand and have passed the test.
We’ve run households, held careers, even started businesses of our own.
Each one of us has recognized that no man stands alone.

Our souls have garnered courage and strength to let friendship set the tone,
And let the relationships we have built be our capstone.
We bear the scars of our battles, but the war has been won.
We take this time to celebrate and have a little fun.

We see wrinkles, grey hair, and perhaps a few extra pounds,
But all things have worked together that we might abound
In love, joy, and peace.
May the multitude of our good deeds toward others increase.

We leave our golden celebration to march on with humility and grace
As we remember the smiles that we saw on everyone’s face.

In Your Eyes

In your eyes,
I am a young innocent virgin burgeoning into womanhood.
I surmise
That is all good.

So, I stand in your gaze.
I want only to be whom you see
And be amazed
By your vision of me.

I hide in your embrace
From those who wish to cause me harm and even from my past,
With its hardships you’ve erased
And all the missed opportunities you’ve replaced with new memories that last.

With you, I am refreshed, restored, rejuvenated, and even renewed.
Cinderella has found her prince
And has left her servitude
To her family and hence

Has found her place of honor and respect in his palace.
Rapunzel has let down her hair
And has escaped imprisonment in a phallus
Tower to find freedom and exploration of a world where

She can finally socialize.
Snow White, who by the poisoning of a witch
Dies,
Has been resurrected by her lover’s kiss.

Who said fairytales don’t come true?
I’ve taken a long look at you!