Back to Back

Back to Back

By Mushroom Montoya

So many conversations between people

Are nice and shallow,

Barely getting the top of their feet wet,

So rarely exposing our private parts;

Our vulnerabilities, 

Our fears, or our secret delights.

The dominant thoughts:

I want to like you,

And I want you to like me,

Jump in front of the gut, 

Cover up the heart,

Telling them to be still, shhhh.

Don’t mess this up,

Our thoughts tell us.

As they paint a wishful smile.

We dress in appealing robes

That mirror what we think 

The person we’re talking to will like.

We look for cues

While our smile distracts the viewer

From our searching.

And everyone once in a great while

We take the risk and open a door

To our inner sanctum.

When we are strong, we say that it’s ok

To be different from me, 

It’s ok to like what I don’t like, 

And to have an opposite point of view.

We can stand back to back,

Describing the truth,

as we see it,

And we can both be right or 

Both be wrong.

And that is ok.