chameleon

sometimes i hear myself
conversing with people in the hall
at work, people at the ball park, people
at the grocery store.... and i realize
i have several different voices
and layers of personality...
each one geared to fit the person,
the environment,
the situation, my comfort level...
there are very few people with whom
i feel comfortable being completely myself...
not everyone is able to accept or understand
the weird way my heart
and mind work... those few who do, i truly cherish.

i took my longtime friend to lunch
for a belated birthday
yesterday and as we talked and
laughed about life's strangeness,
i marvelled at how he navigates
all my myriad and contradicting moods,
my fast-paced philosophical musings,
my need for attention. he simply said...
"well, i love you, so that makes it easy."
and that was the truth...
there are many different kinds of love,
and love that makes room for you
to be yourself is the best of all.