Portrait Sketch II

You love Rumi
You found him when you were 13
on the shelves of a Minnesota library
You are fascinated by the beautiful Persian woman
until she claims him as her own
To translate is to collaborate across borders
across centuries
I comfort you
Secretly I wonder what resonated
maybe falling in love with a teacher
with someone of your own gender
Poetry is universal we both agree
tapping into the root
You say you journal in verse
or write poem notes on journals
but they are no good
I say the audience is unimportant
For work, you help students
embody their ideas in the community
actualize themselves
Your words are poetry
I wish I could remember them
You moved here from the bigger city
but now you want to socialize
you talk about how hard it is to maintain friendships
how brave I am to come out on my own
I think like me it is easier for you
to love than to be loved
I love you Sunshine