Boundaries

Having been raised
In Celtic culture
Anglo Saxon
And northern European
And studied dead white men
I had no reason
To venture out
Of my boundaries…

But there you were.

The coeds in the college
Thought you exotic
And exquisite
And extolled your beauty
And the softness
Of your skin—

I don’t know why
They didn’t see you
As a threat…

I did
And stayed away
Not knowing
How to react
And hating feeling
Uncomfortable and shy…

Perhaps that was why.

And so it went
Until the day
In the campus café
I saw you cry;

I’m useless at tears
I don’t know why
But I stopped
And listened to your fears
And made you laugh
When I got shy.

They told me later
That you liked me
And some girls
Suggested I ask you out.

But I was beyond that now...

You see I never ventured out
Beyond my boundaries
And though I liked you
I remained in my own solitude
And you maintained
Your own solemn mood
Occasionally smiling
In gratitude
As life passed us by—

I still don’t know why.