There's No Crying in Baseball (2016)

No one asked me to love you.
the one who brought me to you—
the one who introduced us,
nor the ones who made their way in and out

No one asked me to love you.
or even expected or accepted
Love as an option. A choice
beyond resigned.

No one asked me to do
more than I had to fake
to spend more time
than what I had to give.

No one asked me
To pour my heart and soul and faith—
three soulless years eased
into two months

You never knew about
sleepless nights, internal fights
the demons that I battled
to come to you each day.

You never asked me to love you.
With the fierceness of a mother
With the blindness of a lover
With the faith of my own child.

But you demanded that I love you—
with your warm, intense embrace,
your pure, accepting magic,
your vision of my worth.

And I never asked you
to heal my shattered image
erase the doubts.  Prop up
the broken soul.

And I never asked you
to promise me more than a season.
A summer of pure confidence
and competence.


And you came to ask me:
Do you want this? Do you want me?
Will you join the next capitalistic chapter
Forever. For now. For this.

You asked me to stay
To brave frigid. Brave scared.
Brave holiday FedEx and confused generals—
and uncertainties that creep up in the dark.

I never asked you
to lie to my needs and lie to my dreams
keep security and sincerity
at the top of a parachute jump.

I never asked. And yet
You did. You never asked.
And yet I love.

You never ask.
And yet I loved.