Quote of The Day

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Just Because She Didn't Tell!

This was a hard prompt for me! Re hashing past pain is difficult, I feel this piece needs a lot more work. I needed to post something so, I just released it. This was nothing more than an innocent friendship.
Just because she didn’t tell

She traveled on his shoulders
weaving through Canada Day crowds
Rock band played stridently in celebration,
an entourage of envious girls followed.
Strapping young guy, well over six feet tall,
gothic all in black, long ripped shorts,
appearing more like a man,
than a boy of fourteen.
Kyle I learned was his name,
girls were swooning over him,
he confided in Pepper
that he was bisexual or gay,
surprised by his confession,
she locked up his words,
promising to tell no other.

Summer was over, back to school
in the halls Kyle jested with my petite girl
Secret crushes were revealed by her cronies,
jealously exuded, still, she could not tell
Protecting his older brother
from possible backlash,
Kyle chose not to divulge his orientation,
Only after his brothers graduation
would he proudly expose his sexuality

The friendship continued
assumptions were made by resentful girlfriends
the viral Green monster plagued the group,
angered, they blatantly ignored her,
Devastated, still, she could not reveal the secret,
they called her names, gossiped,
Deliberately ousted, they shunned her,
still she told no one

She wept in desolation,
four years of camaraderie,
water slides, swimming, Skating, sleepovers,
camping, concerts, birthday parties, bowling,
Haunted houses, homework sessions, instant messaging,
dinners, movies, giggling,
Then, with one pinch from the green monster,
it was gone,
still she wouldn't tell
She sobbed tears of grief, for the loss, the betrayal;
bravely she went on, sad beyond imagining
My heart broke; I was stunned
good girls, in a state of meanness
Male friends comforted her with kindness,
some had ulterior motives
Never a replacement for her girls,
the joy, the laughter,
the excitement only girls know

Covertly a few friends spoke to her,
kept her abreast of the daily functions
Afraid of the group’s wrath,
they drew no attention to themselves
An honor roll student,
she considered quitting school,
as her passion waned
Everyday, she stoically faced the girls,
walking by,
conquering rejection

She drew new friends to her,
kept the true ones,
forged on through the mire of jealousy
Spurned for their male allure,
attractive girls of sixteen and seventeen;
are often avoided by their rivalries
girls with internal and external beauty,
pushed off their pedestal, subjected to shame
Mothers with daughters shared similar stories,
consoling my maternal worries
My resilient daughter
braved the few months of discomfort;
still, she said not a word

Courageously, old friends, included her along
but it was never quite the same
While males distracted her,
the others trickled back into her life
She had a New Years Eve gathering;
a semblance of normal was present
Three boys were in pursuit,
she chose one,
slowly a new friendship escalated
Into to a beautiful love story
still present today
and flourishing.

The following summer,
Kyle bravely told the world,
that he was gay
Flamboyantly he flaunts his orientation,
and his boyfriends
Pepper has a fondness for this creative soul,
she runs into him regularly,
and they chat
I often wonder if he knows
what she sacrificed,
just because she didn’t tell!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Giggles..I wonder if we ever really know what a friend may have sacrificed for us at some point in our lives, I only hope that I would be as loving and as courageous as she. thank you for sharing this..I loved it..m

gma said...

Pepper was a true friend.
We should all be so trustworthy!

Anonymous said...

I think that sometimes the more innocent, the more painful. Friendship is even more complicated than love affairs, isn' it?? (Hi- I'm new)

Anonymous said...

Absolutely heartbreaking. What a wonderful upbringing Pepper must have had to become such a compassionate young woman.

che said...

it's complicated . any human relationship is .

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