+1

For My Boys...

and then there was another
not fully expected but perhaps hoped for and always welcomed

sitting there
looking beautiful
and exuding all of those things that we perceive without fail but can never define
that make you recognizable as who you are

first at the table in that awkward restaurant
crowded by noisy and excited people that would never think to guess
the secret hiding behind those eyes that betray a certain wisdom beyond your years

then in the floor on a drunken friday night
surrounded by friendly and playful people who put you at ease and don't have to guess
because family is family and we know our own

then in my lap the morning after
arm around my neck as you curl close and make me feel both safe and needed
just as i've known my baby brother to do on so many occasions

my ear resting over your heart
the strength of its rhythm assures me that you are alive and well
unlike so many i have known before you
you need no direction for you found yourself long ago

pride and hope and perhaps even faith are momentarily restored
a new perspective gained from an inspirational addition to a life that often feels so lacking

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a meager attempt at putting into words what it is that I feel concerning the men in my life, most of which happen to be gay, when they first come into my life. I don't think I'll ever be able to fully express in words the role these individuals have played and continue to play in my life, but I sometimes feel the need to try. While the above refers mostly to a specific person, places, and events, I also feel it can be viewed loosely as a metaphor for the experiences I've had with almost every gay man that has become an important fixture in my life... with the exception of lines 17-19, which are what make this newest individual particularly unique in my mind. I truly admire his strong sense of self. Not that I've ever minded helping and being there for the people in my life... in fact, I'm glad I can serve a purpose. However, it's refreshing to meet a guy who doesn't need to be rescued from himself.