The Pros and Cons of My Own Intensity

there is

a price to pay

for being me

there is

a price to pay

for being

in my Life

I am intense

always

have

been

when I

Feel

it is

at either extreme

everything matters

I am awed

by the perfection of

a blue day

a flawless lyric

that moment when I realize I have been

understood

recognized

I am broken

by the slight of

an unintended word

a sunless day

the moment when I think I will never be

truly

known

I am hard

I have been told

am told

if I love you

it will be

absolute

my adoration

is not forced

not display

not spurred by too much wine

or loud music

it is

sincerity

transparency

from a high or a low

the tension is nearly the same

euphoria or despair

my breath traps itself

lodged

inside my chest

that tightness

an inconsequential instant

something you might walk past

may stop me

rock me

and it may surprise me

your lack of urgency

just don't scoff at my excess

I do not

know how

to

contain

myself