Why Don't You

By AJ Kelsey

When night falls and the world fades away,
And you’re left with the silence, why don’t you
Hold yourself scared, afraid to wake upon the fire burning your flesh.
Worried for the immortal soul casted into the pits of hell,
By the light when it calls us all forth, bound forever damned!

Masquerade with papier-mâché,
Colored in paints that are not your own.
Afraid for when the music stops, the face beneath the will be revealed
As they walk away with distain marked on their faces
Knowing that friendly cards will turn in the eyes of truth

Or feel the fear of walking down the streets, then, out of nowhere, being attacked
By a mob of men, beaten for the sin of being who you are, face nearly
As bloodied and broken as your soul.

Why don’t you shamefully conceal the love of another
The love of another to whom you’d give your very life for
The love that you’d walk through shards of glass,
Wait a thousand lives to be with, because the world can’t see what you see
To hear the words of hate as you walk down a street
“You’re all going to hell”
Not knowing that you’re already there
For beneath the ever flowing, never ending stream of tears
Taking their leave from your body, your soul is dying

Why don’t you whisper the words fix me, heal me, make me better
As you take the jaded blade to your wrist
Deeply you pierce, to bleed out the pain
Wanting it to end you
Taking the blade to rest it upon your neck,
Oh the sweet peace it would bring
To cut the unspoken agony
But something outside of yourself restrains you
As it has done too often before
Tortured, defeated, there’s nothing left to do but will yourself to sleep
Wanting, hoping, to purge yourself of the shame
Of not understanding why you are the way you are
People laying claims to your name by derogatory means

So many throw the stones, but have never been hit
They speak the words of hate, but never felt their sting
Are my words opening the door to understanding?
Or do you still see without seeing?