Gates

When I feel anxious
and lost,
swimming in a string
of thoughts
that chain me
to insecurity
I ask you
to look past the smile
I try so desperately
to give you
If it looks forced
it is only because I fear
it is not good enough
I fear when I want to love
So I ask you
to look past my smile
and all that is material
in our world
What matters is the feeling
behind it, hidden
like a pearl in the Pacific
where shyness hides
the waves of my heart;
dressed in coyness
and fluttering eyelids,
rattled nerves
and anxious grins
But behind my lips
there is truth —
a concealed wish
to let you in
and keep you,
to welcome
your heaven
to my gates
Gates;
what good are they
if they are closed?
What good is a heart
divided?
Behind my smile
is a vision of you
in the night —
a light
to let me know
it’s you
It’s you
who turns the tides,
who opens my eyes
to the other side
Behind my smile
there is a space
that awaits
your love
It longs
to be molded
in your image
Just say the word
and I’ll let you in
Because life begins
with love.

