I stand alone
Beside the sea.
I watch the winds
Who follow me. Stars are silent
In my heart,
And the whole world
Stands apart. I sing softly
To myself,
Humming elf songs
From the shelf. People glance at
Me and frown,
Puzzled, frightened.
I look down. People pass me
By and they
Cannot grasp me
Look away. Sometimes someone
Hesitates,
Looks at me and
Wonders, waits. Sometimes I hold
Out my hand,
With myself
Inside it and Hope somebody
Understands.
Saying this is
Who I am. Very rarely
Someone sees me,
And I barely
Feel it frees me. They perceive the
Hopes I haunt.
They believe the
Worlds I want. Warily I
Squint and smile.
Someone loves me
For awhile. Then they see the
Volatile
Things in me
Who I beguile, And they tire of
How I grieve,
Lost like madness,
And they leave. I sing softly
By myself,
Placing pledges
On the shelf. Putting promises
Away.
People say them.
They don't stay. Watch the sky
Grow bright and blue.
I don't want to
Frighten you. Watch the worlds
Whisk words away.
Don't believe
The things you say. I grow guarded --
Build a wall
Of smiles and irony.
I fall Friendless, free
Into the far
And foreign sea
Of who you are.
And watch a star.