“She wrapped herself in an enigma, there was no other way to keep warm.”
Karen Elizabeth Gordon

They know me
For my jokes,
My laughter,
And my blue eyes.
They know me
For being emotional,
For sometimes
Caring too much, and
They count on
My generous spirit
Because they know
I often sacrifice
Too much of my heart
And resources
In order to please.
I believe I remain
An enigma to them
For they do not wish
To understand
Why I am
The way I am,
Why I feel
What I feel,
Why I don't belong
As they belong.
How can they when
I keep so much of myself
Hidden safely
From view?
I wonder,
Do they care enough
To understand?
On those rare occasions
When I let down my guard
The starkness of what
I reveal
Repulses them, for
No one wants to witness
The pain I'm in,
No one wants to know
Where that pain
Comes from,
They're happy with
My jokes, my laughter,
My generous spirit.
They want the Enigma,
Not the soul
Hidden within it.

c. 2026