Jennifer Mansfield Peal

Trust Me
© Jennifer Mansfield Peal 2004

There’s a game we used to play during recess on the blacktop
When the girls would jump in loafers and the boys would jump in high tops
Just to hit a ball around a pole tied to a six-foot string
We would smack each other in the face and hurt and bruise and sting

Trust me, I am not tethered to your heart
You can trust me, I stand in my life apart
I do not have to fight for freedom, for I am already free
In spite of all the ones who hit you from behind, trust me

Then when Christmas comes around; such a gluttony of toys
With lots of soft stuff for the little girls and hard stuff for the boys
Somebody is unhappy, Santa’s letter went unread
She did not get the thing she wants so she tears up yours instead

Trust me, I will not crush what you hold dear
You can trust me, I can respect your plans and fears
I do not have to shred your ego, for I have one of my own
In spite of all the ones who left you feeling small, trust me

Ah, the politics of youth that do everybody violence
Shaming out what makes us special in the name of truth or romance
When a secret told in confidence becomes a lunch-room joke
And now there’s only silence to replace the parts that broke

Trust me, I do not care to make you known
You can trust me, I’ve got secrets of my own
How can I treasure privacy if your secrets please me more?
In spite of all the ones who shamed you to the core, trust me

Trust me

Trust me, I will not crucify your dreams
You can trust me, I will not soil the things you love
You can trust me, I will not hang you out to dry
I will not use you for a laugh
You can trust me.