though i do wonder
why you intrigue me
i recognize that an exceptional moth
is always drawn
to an exceptional flame
you’re not at all what you appear
to be
though not so very different
i’ve not learned
the acceptable way of saying
you fascinate me
i’ve not even learned
how to say i like you
without frightening people
away
sometimes i see things
that aren’t really there
like warmth and kindness
when people are mean
but sometimes i see things
like fear and want to sooth it
or fatigue and want to share it
or love and want to receive it
is that weird
you think everyone is weird
though you’re not really hypocritical
you just practice not being
what you want to be
and fail to understand
how others would dare
to be otherwise
that’s weird to me
flames don’t flicker
forever
and moths are born to be burned
it’s an unusual way
to start a friendship
but nothing lasts forever
-Nikki Giovanni
Poem (For Ema)
