To Change Me? Poem by RIC BASTASA

when you arrive here
you change the paint of the house
you like it pastel blue on the door
white on the walls
and green on the windows

you change the landscape
except of the wanton garden
you opt for a manicured lawn
and some of my trees
and shrubs have to be
cut down,
some flowers have to go
you bring in
the violets, and lavenders
and white champacas
you like a scent from around
you
specially during the night
when we simply sit
on the lawn

now you begin to demand
some changes from me
the time when i wake
up or sleep
you like soap i like sports
you want me to enjoy
love stories

the color of my socks
my tie my polo shirts

i give in for a while
but there is an end to all these
attempts to change me

you cannot,
i am me before the landscape
before the paints of the house
i am me before the lawns and flowers and socks
and shirts and soap
i am already me before you arrive
to my house
to my life

you cannot change me
because
i love who i am what i am and i know perfectly just what i want to make
myself
even without you,

make some more attempts to change me
and i will ask you to leave at once