Fairy in the Forest

He called me a fairy. The words not having sank in.

Do you mean the beautiful creatures roaming the forest?

They laugh as their words escape, my mind

Begins to wonder. What would it be like to be a fairy?

The magic in their wings and a silk hat with curly hair tucked underneath.

My dreams protect me from the words that they say.

Fairies dance under the moonlight and sleep under blades of grass a book says.

What a great life they must live. To play all night and sleep in

All day. I am a fairy, I proudly claim. Blank stares make me aware of the meaning underneath.

I must hide like the fairies do. The book has taught me well. Maybe under a leaf in a forest?

Maybe I can cast a spell? When in danger a fairy

Will trick the ones who come in close. I must make illusions for curious minds.

Like the fairy, I keep my secrets locked deep in my mind.

I cast my queer spells and mimic their actions. I practice their speech and say what they say.

I must hide in plain sight. Wrapping my wings around myself for thicker skin. Fairies

Have many powers at their disposal. But I worry if I hide too long I will be lost within.

I search the tombs for fairies like me. Where do they go when they are not safe in the forest?

My magic swirls inside of me, ready to burst. My wings constrict it but my skin cracks underneath.

Are there spells to silence my magic? The boys forgot about my wings. But underneath

I’m burning inside. The book I read said fairies were not real. Maybe just made up in my mind?

No magic inside of me. The boy’s words ring true. I don’t dance in the forest.

I can’t hide under blades of grass. Something was, is wrong with me. Say

It out loud. Release all of the feelings inside of you. What I am doing is a sin.

Who wants to be a fairy? Who’s proud to be a fairy? I can’t be a fairy.

My world has become dim. Playing along in their show of men. No Fairies

Allowed. Their beauty, magic, spells, and glee buried deep underneath

The wet earth in the forest. There is a coldness that sits stagnantly within.

It is remembered cues. Do this. Say this. Don’t smile too much. My mind says

You are safe now that you have learned to hide in plain sight, no longer in lush forest.

"You’re a fairy." My eyes light up. Has someone discovered me? Do I still smell of the forest?

A slender boy curls up in front of the performing boys. His wings that of a young fairy.

The boys try to pluck his wings but grow tired of his soft cries. They leave. I stay. "Say,

Little fairy." His eyes trace my face, hoping that there is kindness underneath.

My skin cracks and my mind start to flutter. My wings rigor mortis removed. His mind

Racing and we smile in unison. I ask him, "Do you know where fairies live my friend?"