Any living body that passed him
was inclined to point or stare.
His own smile resented him
for acknowledging those unsteady onlookers.
At the peak of his anxiety,
that neverland boy would
forgive petty grievances.
They would lament,
"What are you wearing?"
"You were so beautiful."
"Why are you doing this to us?"
and he would sigh and comfort them,
"I don't understand why I can't be beautiful."
On and on. Even shielding his midnight eyes
with empty palms could not stop their waters.
He begged with adventurous, crackling lips -
for his parents to love him,
but they mourned his flowering
and desperately missed their daughter.
[Originally Published: Red Weather Literary Magazine 2020]
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At Odds & Loose Ends: A poetry Collection
PoetryPoems new and old that didn't fit into other collections or were out for consideration at the time. All of my loose ends.