Facets

Barely a wisp of a Boy.
Cold steel eyes with a level gaze
Contain the naivety of a child
And the weariness of an adult.

Gentle gestures,
His hand given to help me up
and shoulder proffered to lean on.
Offered up CD player to share a song
We could discuss its meanings all ride long.

I’ll never forget the first time I saw
The dull steel eyes light up in interest.
He always questioned.
What was going on in my life?
Why did I look upset?
Why would I continue practices
that make me unhappy?

Not long after that I noticed
the shift from interest to an intense watching
In those liquid steel eyes.
He was assigning everything a value placement.
The world was black and white.

His sister was smart and going places
He was destined to fail.
His mother was fragile and gentle
His father was dirt that shouldn’t live.
Women were good and in need of protection
Men were destructive demons that hurt without remorse.

There was danger in him.
Awareness grew of his
capacity to hurt.
Behind caring and genuine worry
Hid a calculating mind.

Selective concern for others,
“A worthy few most precious,
All the others no more than pitiful bugs.”
He is moved to violence against them without hesitation.


Copywright of Lilly Suess 2005