Umbilical Cord

Men and women of romance, mystified his mettle

Them he traced with obsession, as a naive juvenile lad
With intense interest and fear filled secret feelings
Upbeat bodily appetite warded off mom’s code of honor

Boy sixteen, with casual thoughts, wearing dowdy attire

Walking across a girl fourteen, was struck by piercing look
It was the straw of shock, that broke social moral’s back
Teen’s gaze crazed him to land on new sensual slope

Celibate, idealist, pastor, and parson trading pleasures

For contrary extremes of pain seemed silly and sad
Denying desires of natural appetite for feelings of love
Looked aberrant, for the teen-ager with deep desire

It is religion the culprit, practicing twisted taboos

Superior faith would consent to prenuptial darling
Reason for lad in love to dislike outdated passive ethics
Barrier to teen affairs added to stack of hate feelings

Form of the love triangle outlined upsetting extremes

Teenager sought to sever the illusive umbilical cord
Firmly mother held on to the baby in her strong arms
Faintly cried furtive voices, “Love me and hate her”

Raj Gaonkar, November 21, 2009