She looks like a secret I want
To discover, but only to
The teenage eyes through which
I still see the world sometimes.

The rest of me knows that
Such assumptions are merely
Misguided romanticism; a fantasy
Into which I learned to contort
Other people, no matter
How much it hurt them.

In reality, there is no secret:
She is known to herself, and
That will always be
The most important knowledge.
It belongs to her and no one else.

12/14/2024

Posted on 07/26/2025
Copyright © 2026 Richard Vince