She held out
her insecurities
cupped in her hands
and asked him
for reassurance,
but he just looked down
his nose at her
silent
.
He had no
kind word
to give,
no kind heart.
.
And so she stood
face upturned in
silent misery
and held tight to
the gift
of isolation.
Shawn L. Bird 
Reblogged this on itburnsforyou and commented:
This is amazing.
Hmm, nice.
Thanks.
I feel sorry for the girl. In my mind, I visualize maybe the boy made the girl’s hope too high. Maybe he held her up in a pedestal & didn’t catch her when the ground shaked & she fell off. Maybe the boy was nothing than merely a shallow person, unable to stand his ground about the hopes that he has given to the girl. Beautiful poem, short yet emotional. Well done! Keep safe & stay awesome! 🙂
Or maybe he just doesn’t have it to give? Thanks for stopping by.
The gift of isolation – it seems like it is the gift that keeps giving.
It’s a rather private affair… 😉
Love this part of the poem “held tight to the gift of isolation”!
Thank you. I appreciate you coming by.
maybe she selected the wrong person.. I love poetry that touches me personally, and this one does. Thank you.
I’m glad you connected with it.
How true this is, unfortunately.
Thanks for stopping into my blog today, Elizabeth.
You’re welcome, and I love your blog!
Thanks.
Wow your blog has exploded. Nice following, Shawn!
Yes, it’s very exciting! 🙂 Thanks!
She deserves to be cherished.
She does.
Reblogged this on Saleem Dreams and commented:
Poem from Shawn L. Bird’s blog. Reblogged.
Oh, this is the complete opposite of what I posted. I feel the pain and sadness of it, silence is killing. A very a good write and thank you for liking my poem, too.
Thanks for dropping by. It was my pleasure to visit your site!
🙂 You are very much welcome and a pleasure for me to read your works.
Thanks
he could not understand
he gave her room
he let her talk
he gave her silence
a gift most precious
but still she left
(why communication — is the most difficult in the world)
Sorry for not visiting your site more often
Thanks for popping in today! You’re welcome back, any time!
Really enjoyed this, tugged at my heart that uber trusting offering of vulnerability – stunning. Not always easy to receive such trust – that’s what I find sad…and if there are few strong enough to receive it, those willing to offer it will be less inclined. Very thought provoking – thank you:-)
You’re welcome. Thank you for coming by.
Hi Shawn,
This may be my favourite poem that I have read of yours. It is so simple but says everything all at once. It actually almost made me cry. Can I reblog it on Eatsdrinksandthinks?
Feel free. Thanks for your support!
Done! I hope people come and check out your other stuff.
It is so tough to allow oneself to be vulnerable.
Indeed.
Love it!
I’m glad. Thanks for reading.
I had a dream that made me feel this way recently. This struck me. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate it!
Reblogged this on Eats Drinks and Thinks and commented:
Here is a reblog of a lady who I only discovered recently but her stuff is really fantastic…check out her blog whenever you get the chance, she writes some lovely stuff…..
Thanks for this. I particularly like the implications tied into the the first stanza
My pleasure. I’m glad it gave you something to ponder.
This, safe to say, is the kind of write I definitely like. Simple, but still highly evocative. Glad I chose to start following your blog. 🙂
I am glad you did, too! I hope you’ll enjoy what you find here. Thanks for stopping by.
Such a beautiful poem – I really loved it! Also, thank you for stopping by my blog, I really appreciated it! I’m hoping to put a few of my own poems on my blog so maybe we could exchange ideas?! 🙂
Excellent! I invite you to participate in my Monday Memes. Click on Monday Meme in the categories bar on the right to see some of the past ones. Maybe they’ll give you some ideas.
Thank you! You are very kind 🙂
Very powerful.
Thank you.
This is me up until a few years ago, when someone finally gave me something.
I’m now happy.
Which is the best feeling ever.
So thanks for awesome poem,
L
I’m glad.
You’re welcome.
PS. Have you read Beautiful Music for Ugly Children? By the name of your blog, you might enjoy it.
No… Hm… Sounds interesting. Thanks for the rec 🙂
Here’s the link to my review. http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/579360383 Good teen LGBTQ lit is hard to find, but I really liked this one.
Sounds amazing.
Will need to have to ask teacher for help finding
I bought it at Powells City of Books in Portland. They have an awesome mail order business (and quite an impressive LGBTQ selection)
I fear it won’t be in the local book shop near my home. But thank you for the recommendation, you are a force for awesome.
Your local shop will still be able to order in for you. Here’s another one that’s really great: https://shawnbird.com/2012/07/14/an-almost-perfect-review/ (much more thorough review!) lol
I know.
Sadly I fear awkward questions from the parental units
Oh no. Seriously? That’s rough. Home acceptance is so important. I don’t know about your situation, but when my nephew finally came out (which was a huge deal for him), we all just shrugged our shoulders and said, “Yeah. We knew about 16 years ago.” 🙂 (We probably should have hinted and taken the load off his mind, eh?)
The librarian in me, who likes to read and to encourage kids to read banned and ‘awkward’ books, says READ no matter who asks you questions! lol The more you can observe new lives, points of view, ways to behave, and various coping skills from the characters in books, the better equipped you are to face any life struggle. There is so much to learn, so much to explore, so much to consider, so much to understand. Awkward questions be damned!
Thank you so much. My mom’s open minded when its not her kids. And yes, awkward questions be damned, but I’m thinking of asking my English teacher for help.
English teachers are pretty great… (she says modestly)
Here’s a link to the website of one of my former students, anti-bullying workshop presenter and gay rights advocate and activist Ryan Clayton. http://ryanclayton.ca/idostuff.html He’s a pretty great guy to connect with. I have supported his Purple Letter campaign which has forced our politicians and school district to have specific policies to support the LGBTQ students. https://shawnbird.com/2011/09/14/purple/ Does your district have access to someone like him?
Yes they are, he’s like my grandpa.
And that is fantastic. I’m subscribed to AllOut and sign a good amount of their petitions.
And sadly no 😦
Some day there will be enlightenment everywhere.
I hope so 🙂
Great! It sounds like the end of my marriage. Actually all of my marriage but what really made me want out at the end. Thanks.
I hope you’ve found solace.
I have, thanks! It’s been an interesting journey and I think back to why it took 35 years. It’s still an interesting journey and I love my life.