On one occasion, I was speaking with a young man who was troubled by much of what was happening in his life. I did what was needed... I listened. I let him get it out. As Sybok taught in the Star Trek Movie... "All men hide a secret pain. Share it and gain strength through the sharing."
This young man's words inspired me in a way that I had never been inspired. This poem, "Treacherous Heart" is the result of that inspiration and I hereby dedicate it to the young man who inspired it.
Treacherous heart
why do you deceive me
why do you hate me so
You've made me different
different from my peers
never mind friends, for I have none
You've made me an outcast
alone in class
alone at lunch
I live in solitude
an outcast
alone in a world where popularity is fickle
a matter of pure happenstance
not the target of ridicule, it's as if I don't exist
I'm different from my peers
I don't play sports
I don't join in socially
I'm doomed in this existence forever
Time passes
days, weeks, months
Until one day
Sitting there I look
I'm no longer alone for he is there
He speaks to me
I recoil in fear
Fear that he is merely an extension of you, Treacherous Heart
I know not why but he persists
day in, day out
He's there
Finally on one wondrous day
I turn to him
and for the first time, I see light.
His smile, his eyes
his melodious voice
they call to me
No longer alone
no longer in darkness
no longer bereft of feeling
Now I see rainbows
Now I see the sun
Now that he is in my life