About Girls

A poem about discovery

In high school
I learned
it was other girls
who turned my head

In locker rooms
I tried to avoid
their breasts and thighs
my terrible secret
locked inside
alone
I felt impaled
by my desire

Boys found me pretty
but remote and cold
to their entreaties
whispering
about what they thought
I might be

I escaped
to the Air Force
a haven for girls
who like girls

There I found lust
passions unfolding
dark desires
beyond my imagining
no hint of love
to comfort
my aching heart

On Air Force wings
I moved from
base to base
one day discovering
a girl so unlike me
like no other

Lithe and brown
angry and bold
a bright star burning
ever protecting
her sensitive soul

Dawn
a chance encounter
a deserted beach
defenses down
no words spoken
none needed
we stood and watched
the waves
and gulls

We talked about
her tortured past
my isolation
our dreams
of roots
and peace
and love

My Air Force time
ran its course
hers was eclipsed

In an offhand way
someone told me
she didn’t return
that final time