The Moon on the Pier: a poem By John McKinley Pride Jr
"The Moon on the Pier"
My eyes begin to burn while I look at the sun; why am I so intrigued?
Soon to go blind; how can something so beautiful burn so bad?
I would ask my father; again he is intrigued by the moon on the pier.
My eyes have been open for all the years of my youth and there is no sight of a tear that did not fall more than once; there is a sharp pain the size of a black hole buried with in me; my father put it there engulfing my soul.
He was always some one to fear; sitting under these trees that grow rotted fruits of distrust; I would stand there waiting for them to fall in my basket of blame.
I could wait forever for that though; he will just leave me out to freeze with a cold shoulder to my childlike mind.
I have the sun to keep me company; he gives me all the love I need.
My father only yelled back at me; you will die on your own; you came here alone you will leave here alone.
I yelled back in a fury I have the sun and I need nothing more; with a simper on his face he said, what do you need love for?
As he tore my heart out and through it in to his furious sea of antagonism; yelling let me be! Let me be! Or come with me, to watch the moon on the pier fallow me to the slow boat I call my own the one I take when I know I need to flee, to run away from my troubles and never look back.
So, come with me if you wish, this is the last time you will see me and never will I speak to you again.
Don’t you understand you are one of the problems I want to forget, one of the problems that will not let me forget who I have become.
So, what is it you choose to do?
Drown here in this pity you call your self or come with me to run away again?
I will stay here alone because I came here alone, I will find love here alone because I found it on my own.
I will leave here with a remembrance of the love I found and know I will not die alone.
By John McKinley Pride Jr.
5/16/’96
My eyes begin to burn while I look at the sun; why am I so intrigued?
Soon to go blind; how can something so beautiful burn so bad?
I would ask my father; again he is intrigued by the moon on the pier.
My eyes have been open for all the years of my youth and there is no sight of a tear that did not fall more than once; there is a sharp pain the size of a black hole buried with in me; my father put it there engulfing my soul.
He was always some one to fear; sitting under these trees that grow rotted fruits of distrust; I would stand there waiting for them to fall in my basket of blame.
I could wait forever for that though; he will just leave me out to freeze with a cold shoulder to my childlike mind.
I have the sun to keep me company; he gives me all the love I need.
My father only yelled back at me; you will die on your own; you came here alone you will leave here alone.
I yelled back in a fury I have the sun and I need nothing more; with a simper on his face he said, what do you need love for?
As he tore my heart out and through it in to his furious sea of antagonism; yelling let me be! Let me be! Or come with me, to watch the moon on the pier fallow me to the slow boat I call my own the one I take when I know I need to flee, to run away from my troubles and never look back.
So, come with me if you wish, this is the last time you will see me and never will I speak to you again.
Don’t you understand you are one of the problems I want to forget, one of the problems that will not let me forget who I have become.
So, what is it you choose to do?
Drown here in this pity you call your self or come with me to run away again?
I will stay here alone because I came here alone, I will find love here alone because I found it on my own.
I will leave here with a remembrance of the love I found and know I will not die alone.
By John McKinley Pride Jr.
5/16/’96
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