"No Man's Land"

by Tyanah August

There’s no such thing, as valentines in no man's land
No red roses with soft, puckering petals
Sprinkled delicately upon the carpets and tile
Of staircases and hallways into bedrooms and bath tubs
There’s no such thing as passionate soul stirring declarations of
Undying
Unyielding
Everlasting
Patient
Unselfish
Love
In fact, in this town we question rather it exists
There’s no balloons or “ribbons in the sky”
No tattoos of lips on necks
There’s no candle light in no man's land
No lingerie
No dimly lit cabarets
No slow jams in no man's land
….But there is a distinct understanding of the difference between a Fantasy and what’s real
No fairy tales
Glass slippers
Poison apples
Foxes, hounds or thumpers
Sleeping beauties or dutiful princes
There is no dependency to intangible dreams
Or evening star wishes
No unwelcome greetings by disappointment
In no mans land we commit to our focus
No one else’s
And it remains undeterred through necessary sacrifice
So don’t ask the residents about their love lives
Because regardless, they love life