Open Secrets

Photo by Rafael Barros from Pexels

It seems like just yesterday.

A yesterday when we were young and fun.

Running through the village sun, time seemed like an endless shore.

Remember when you looked at me, and I looked at you.

But, we were young.

We were young and we had our fears,

Fears of being seen Fears of being caught....... being misunderstood.

Fears of being outed.

A fear that reflected from your eyes to mine.

A fear that made me pray for it to go away.

But it was actually here to stay. 

I ask Mommie to tell me stories.

Stories of my people.

Stories of our people.

People shackled by that same fear that was in your eyes and in mine.

People we sit with in church; people we look up to, who we aspire to be.

A people whose love we dare speak its name.

At least not on our little island. 

Since I last saw you I’ve been thinking.

Thinking about you. Thinking about us, about home, about those kids whose journey mirrors yours and mine,

A journey walking with fear. 

They say the beach is just the beginning.

But our beginning was our ending.