Foreign Courtship

caught wind of my culture
it’s nurtured passions
outgrowing their vase
growing for a natural cause

and after many springs
and falls, here you are,
applauding
it’s gall,

a weary traveler
from the north
with skins of fur
that adorn your fervor

with gifts of comfort
and shelter and confers,
I could refer to you…
I waver…

the flood just quenched
the soil after months
of turmoil…

and I’ve warded off poachers
and posers
I just earned closure…

and now it’s time
for another?
another experience, test
another lesson

just as my world
has been granted
independence,
you are in question,

I am drained, not in need
what is the purpose
of your conquest?

– B. Brown

(painting by Francoise Nielly)