POETRY
How I See You
A free verse prompted poem
In the first light of a pastel sky —
swirls of baby blue and cotton candy pink
periwinkle and glooming peach — you’re there
sitting alone on the park bench, waiting
Waiting for some prince to pass by
or at the very least, a foot soldier
A hero to take you away — whisked
off your feet — from this mess of life
A life of disappointments and sacrifice
too much give and very little take
for taking means freedom and solidarity —
foreign words in your limited vocabulary
But this is not how I see you — strength
stronger than you’ve ever been given credit
or even credited yourself — passionate
flooding the world with crimson and amber
Your generosity should never be unmet
but held sacred, celebrated, honored —
Your laughter should be met with joy
not taken as a sign of mental collapse
If you could but take that first step
rise from that bench, claim your destiny
and realize you need a heroine, not a hero —
you’d see what I see — your savior is you
©2024 Lori Carlson. All rights reserved.
I am participating in the PoCoChapMo ‘24 over at The Poetry Cove, hosted by UK poet, Adam Gary. Today’s prompt is ‘the first step’.
