fully

i met her on an off-day and her purple

hair did not fully register until i

fully looked at her face, chin tucked

into her collarbone, eyelashes brimming

with tears and i wished

to redo the moment, undo the scripted

roles and cursed

whoever responsible for this pain,

i thought,

if only i could cancel out their judgement--
of your own emotions,
you should not be
ashamed.

~

RNH