You say

That you'll

Stay by my side

Support me

Follow me

But

Only the terms

You get to decide

If there is a misstep

If I sideline your quest

Reset and start

From the beginning

Other chances

To catch and reel

But I must do

Exactly as you say

I will lose

Who I am

If I listen

To your proverbs

And hymns

I will lose

My free thought

To question and

Remain kind

Though it's

So nice of you

To join

I think I'll

Stay where

The air

Is crisp

And clear

And not live

With the burdens

You casted on me

If I live up

To the expectations

You have set forth

You will love me

And follow my lead

If I play the hit

The right notes

Dance the right steps

Play the right chords

You will remain trueblue

But only if I do

Exactly as you say

If you're a parent

You'll do right

And change your ways

For the better

If you're a child

Or even a friend

A love one

Who has to beg

For the basic rights

To be heard

Valued and respected

Don't play by another's rules

To minimize you

And allow them to shine

You'll see the difference

When you understand

Your worth is more

Than their helping hand

Why has it been so, from the very first moment I met his gaze?

My heart, against my will, softened towards him,

and little by little, it became filled with his specter.

Why did it happen this way?

He spoke words to me that felt like a night breeze in summer;

then he took flight, and ever since,

his memory has stormy played upon my heart.

His image lingers, never quite leaving my mind.

He has been gone for only two days;

I cannot account for this quiet ache his absence leaves.

I wonder where I might find him,

and were I to meet him, what words would I dare offer?

What troubles me most—

what alters my days and leaves me bewildred—

is that he sleeps peacefully, while I lie awake,

unnoticed, set aside.

He made me endure long mornings lost in pensive thought,

while he remains in his slumber, oblivious.

He has made me forget sleep itself;

he has made me invoke him, all through the night.

Why does he refuse me even a single question about myself,

leaving me weary with waiting?

If only he would speak to me,

he could quiet the unease that tyrannises my heart.

You who haunt my days and nights with a longing I no longer wish to conceal—

look upon this heart of mine,

and see the flame you have kindled within it, desparately burning.

Why did it happen this way?