The Love I Take

The love I take,

Does not fall easily like the leaves I rake.

Does not yearn to be heard and listened to;

Does not fall short of passion when I look at you.

         You in the mirror.

         You in protest.

         You in the rage you believe you’re in.

         You in belief that what once was has never been.

But the love I take,

When you experience a mistake…

Of wanting transparency in colored glass,

Of perceiving my opinion as sass,

Of limiting my skills based on my class,

Of using what I wrap my hair, body and mind in as grounds for an outcast,

Of folding me into a satirical mass,

Of binding my growth because of where my roots were planted last,

Of starving me from my true self that I might as well fast,

OF WANTING US TO FADE BUT WE’RE NOT DOING IT FAST…

                                    enough

...

That’s all I ask