he keeps it all boarded up
I stole the key
~~~
I ordered a cinnamon raisin
he wanted an ‘everything’
not a surprise since he’s a glutton
for life
though he keeps his emotions in check
with a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ mystery
just enough to keep the simmering pot at its boiling point
He keeps it all boarded up
I stole the key
He consumes my soul with every ounce of his being
like a famished, starving artist
living simply, hand to mouth
imbued in some sort of existential crisis
He is an enigma
A contradiction
By now he knows
I don’t run from torrential rains
Wind surges and hurricanes
the polar vortex or extreme heat
from the volcano’s flowing lava
Not that I am without fear
but I’m filled with fascination
of the power and force of nature
the force that I, myself, have become
But still, he continues to mystify
He keeps too much of himself locked inside
And all I want is to hear every disappointment,
nurse every wound, heal every cut, erase every scar
But he explains
Life is the sum total of all good and bad
kind and wicked
the intolerable pain and the immeasurable joy
to live life to its fullest
there must be endurance and strength
the ability to bear the darkness with the light
to shine like Polaris, the brightest illumination of Ursa Minor
to travel into uncharted territory
far from the North Star
holding onto one’s compass, suspenders and a smile
I am pleased to hear his contemplation’s
Though I prefer my yoga meditations
Next time I will order a croissant and French press
and leave him alone with his maze of Sunday crossword puzzles
to revel in my downward dog and upward sun.
Connie Song 2019
