Secrets Poem by Samah Khan

I:

I wonder at secrets sometimes-
Fickle-minded fellows that remain quiet awhile
Till a soft word from fate undoes them
And then they come away, scattered, nude, bare and plain.

I wonder what would become of us-
You, I and all those around who are swaying in the soft melodies
Of clandestine affairs-some dangerous,
Others merely flawed-
What would become of us all if one day
Fate lost its Pandora’s Box

And it fell forth with secrets from the heavens like rain
And we’d all know what the other hid-
Be it December or otherwise-we’d all be stark naked
Like autumn trees-decrepit, with leaves lying at our feet
For anyone to have a tumble and a laugh in
And harsh is such a predicament

I dare not wonder anymore
For I have my own secrets to protect
But Fate does not adhere to my silent fortitude-
Perhaps it will let down its guard and I will lose all
‘Tis the evil truth, with malice as its veil-
And when removed,
Half the world would die of ecstasy,
While the other half would simply die

II:

If my secrets would speak, I fathom they would say,
“What if we are buried alive and were found later-
In some other time, some other era, some other period-
Would people laugh at us while our keeper would have
Gone to the grave to protect us?

Would they interpret us as babes born of naivety and inexperience?
Or would they frame us beneath glass
And allow others to ogle at our lost miseries?
But what good is it to stare at (in wonder) when everyday these very people

Do the same to conceal our successors, praying they are never found?
So leave us be, if you know what’s good for you,
Leave us be
And let sleeping dogs lie