4 may 2012

strangers say, each to the other,
"tell me a little bit about yourself."
and then they answer by rote,
a sort of name-rank-serial of the tired civilian,
"i am a ___. i work at ___. i live in ___."
as if our occupations define us,
as if our environments reveal us.

when i tell you where i work,
the tasks at which i daily toil,
the address of my home...
when i tell you the demographics of my life,
you know me no better.

these are merely trappings.

i am me.

because i read a tree grows in brooklyn when i was twelve, i have in my closet a coffee can filled with loose change. the man from snowy river is my all-time favorite movie. i savor the smell of wood smoke on a cold day and citronella on a hot day. i like to put olives in my cottage cheese.

if you let me
i will love the how of you,
the why of you,
the who of you.
if you let me
i will love you in my own way,
and it will be
forever.