Ask Me to Stay

I don't know what it means
When you stand aloof
Arms crossed over chest
Eyes watching me from afar

It's as if
You are waiting for me
To say
Something, anything
To awaken your compassion
Or compel you to act
But under the weight of your gaze
I can barely speak at all

Who are you?
You are not the one I love
Or is that loved—
Past tense
Something that was but no longer is

Why won't you speak to me?
I don't care if you yell
Or tell me everything I lack
I just need to know
If you are here
If you are going to stay
If you are—
hope against hope
—still the one I loved

I want you to be the one I love—
Present tense
Something lost and now found
Something that is and will be

If you ask me
I will stay
Please ask me to stay