Do Not Be Too Close, I May Explode. Poem by RIC BASTASA

grill me
oh i do not mind,
i know what grilling is,
many years ago,

push me, pull me,
slam me, well, i do not mind
i know how it was to be
a door,

how it was to have a father
slamming everything that would have been good for all of us

ignore me, forget me, abandon me,
i am not worried at all,
i know what snores are in the middle of
those nights
i know how it can be spelled
even backwards if you want,

threaten me, ambush me,
as that lady once boasts,
we have all these for breakfasts

kill me, oh, it will just be once
and instant
not much feelings shall be spent
and wasted

befriend me, and be close to me
these are my real fears,

love me

i do not know anymore
what soft pillows are,
how warm blankets can be
how cold nights can be so lonely

how rains seem not to stop with a litany of
its monotonous drips
how cold can it be without you?

how does it feel to have a train leave
and i am at the station all alone by myself

how beautiful can spring be?
how fragile still are butterfly wings?
how sonorous can the church bell toll?
how can this kiss close my eyes again?

do not be too close, i may explode.