Be With Me Poem by Suzanne Hayasaki

Shelter me under your stars.
Nurture me in your nursery.
Create a Garden of Earthly Delights.
And place me in the center of it –
Your doll.
Your plaything.

Mold me from clay and breath life into me.
Your lips on mine.
Your breath inspiring me.
Invoking me into being.
Inviting me to live –
For you, of course.

Then dance with me on a carpet of green.
Under a canopy of orange blossoms.
Lit by the pinks and the purples of the setting sun.
Serenaded by songbirds.
Witnessed approvingly by life itself.

Twirl me and dip me until my feet hurt and my head spins.
I will never ask to sit this one out.
I will never look over your shoulder for another potential partner.
I will never glance at my watch and make excuses.
There will never be somewhere else I need to be.

But I understand that you are a busy man.
You do not have the luxury of losing track of time.
You are the one who keeps it moving forward.

So when our time is up, for the moment,
Do your magic again:
Sculpt me a David, and bring life into him.
Dress him in tails and spats,
And lead him onto the dance floor.

I promise to sweep him off his feet.
And to allow him to sweep me into his arms,
And over the threshold of the home you will have prepared for us,
And do my duty:

I will go forth and multiply.
In pain and sorrow if need be.

But I will always be looking over my shoulder.
Checking my watch.
Making excuses.

For reasons to go walking in the garden,
Alone,
In hopes of another dance with you.