February Fears
My fears surface in February
For that’s when spring
Supposedly arrives
And the lunar calendar begins
And I’m left wondering
Do I have to pay respects again?
O can we please skip February
Stay in the winds of January?
Where I can feel as free as a bird
And not be tied down
By convention and duty.
To soar away and do
Whatever I darn well please.
Not needing to explain myself
Or genuflecting
Just because tradition
Expects it of me.
But I’m supposed to be
An oriental father, no?
An example I’m required to set
So my boys will grow up embracing
Our purported heritage and
Continue the lineage?
I wish to be set free from
My origin
Is that so awful to behold?
In so doing do I betray?
Am I to be cast down
To society’s levels far below?
Go ahead call me all kinds of names
It’s all you can do to me anyway.
My life, this life, is all I have
So let me be
Let me live it out un-bereft
Of who I truly am
Who I’m meant to be
A free spirit
Forever unveiling
Me!
