I wish to be understood,
More than anything,
To understand my mind,
How its works in its mysterious ways,
To reach deep into my soul and find-
The truth

To truly feel and understand-
Not just the surface,
But beneath-
All within me-
intertwined

They may think they know me,
Yet no one really does,
As much as they believe,
I am really just alone,
Deep in my delicate and intricate thoughts

Understand them -
My thinking
My love
My beliefs
My interests

To free-
My covered and hidden true self,
Out of its darkness-
Free of worry,
Free from judgment

To speak with no words,
Rooted in one another,
Then Interchangeable-
Then I will be understood

-JJ
13/04/25

I'm talking to you;
Is it because I have to
Or because I want to?
I'm talking to you;
Is it to understand you
Or so I am understood?
I'm talking to you;
Is it that I like you
Or that I don't?
I'm taking to you;
Is it to hear myself
Or to be heard?
Is it solely from the verb
Or by the noun?
In this rhetoric,
Is it mine or ours or yours?
In this dialogue,
Is it gossip, chitchat, or conversation?
By the course of it
Is it chance, choice, or demand?
I'm talking to you
Or I'm talking with you?

my words come with no music
so you can just read them
the way you hear them

just like the way they’re spoken
unbroken, by the melody of the moon

my words have many fingers
so you can hold them
as you seldom do

and truth lingers unspoken
till you hear me, feel me
a wordless tune

Antisocial, shy
Or have you lost the hope of
Being understood?

have you ever held the sun in your hands
sometimes i carry it around in my pockets and forget it’s there
sometimes i feel so full of it that i believe in god again
what else is there besides
the streams of light peeking through magnolia leaves
who am i to the baseball shirt
to the blazer or the black fishnets or the crooked bottom teeth
it doesn’t matter
i smell lemon verbena laundry detergent and it’s like time travel
i’m in our west hollywood apartment again falling asleep on my right hip
sometimes i am forty-two but i am always fourteen
do you see me on the page or in the sidewalk cracks
i wish i didn’t care but i always do
where does it come from
the longing
the need to be loved by the things that we love
i hear a song or read a poem and i’m on my knees
i hate being looked at but
i’d do anything for you to see me

“Unbind
Unclasp
Uncover
Uncurl
Unfurl
Undo
Unfasten
Unfold
Unhing­e
Unhook
Unleash
Unlink
Unmask
Unroll
Unveil
Unclip
Unlace
Unzip
­Untie
Unbutton
Unlock”

“Undress.”
“Understood.”

Unravel

“Perhaps one did not wish to be loved,
So much as understood.”
I’ve never fully understood anyone,
I doubt they’ll understand me,
And that’s ok,
It might just not be meant to be.