when we were young
we learned
not to encourage
for one nice word
a single compliment
or a thought expressed
like “thinking of you”
might keep them coming around
might give them that terrible word –

H O P E

we could not have that
not with the ones meant to be out
only with the ones meant to be in
what if they left the wall
in the school gymnasium
what if they came to us
and asked us to dance?
what then?
such a terrible place to be
frozen and incapable
of being nice
for fear of love
crowding ’round us
like a persistent poison
sinking into us,
changing us.