and this is for black boys

maybe
they were just
words to you
a script rehearsed for
countless hours
made to feel real but
lacking life application

maybe you didn't hear
the emotion in your
own deep voice
projected from
larynx to
surrounding air
almost
musically

but i witnessed your
vulnerability
hearts tattooed on
brown skin
you took his number and
became his pain

his story colored you
profoundly dark and
secretly conflicted
he was more than just
a character
he was

every anger
every hidden fear
every silence ever shared

in that moment
i realized that
i love you
so much more
than i have ever admitted
to my self