Forget Me Darling

Ngozichi, Port of Spain, Trinidad, 2018

Forget me darling

I'm not coming back

ignore all the sweet words

I uttered, 

words conjured in the throes of passion

sweet nothings that blur at dawn.

I have crossed many rivers

 and too many seas

gone where you can only imagine

and seen life truly unfold,

beautiful without the blemish of judgment

and prejudice.

I have walked the open fields of life

and bathed in its essence,

traversed rustic places like a troubadour

 without a bar of silver in my hand

and fed like a monk on "alms round" 

 by strangers who see only my humanity 

and not all the garb that society throws on us

Forget me darling

our love would never be

'cos my eyes see the depths of humanity

while you choose to stalk the fringes

delighting in tales of centuries gone

feeding your soul off the crumbs

instead of the meats of kings

wallowing in the filth of the cult

same phrases

same verses

refusing to dig deeper

and finding the true essence

of life

Forget me darling

forget the tales

forget the promises

'Cos I've forgotten you