After 3 years of being her friend
I finally asked her why she doesn't wear her turban
She laughed with sadness in her eyes
You mean a Dastaar?
I blushed in embarrassment
Wondering if I should keep going
She tells me she doesn't wear it because she used to get bullied
She's trying to blend in with us
I imagine a church of millions in colorful turbans and dastaars
I say tell me about your church
She says it's a mosque
I say tell me about your God
She tells me Muhammed and the prophet Allah
I say tell me about your Bible
She says it's called a Quran
She says what's it like to get baptized in your religion
I say unlike other churches we don't get baptized into a a religion
We get baptized with the Father, and the Son, and The Holy Spirit
The Holy Trinity might one say
She says tell me about Jesus
I say that God sent his only son to be crucified for our sins when he has done no wrong
She sings Jesus Take The Wheel
But she is not Christian
Other religions and cultures have always fascinated me
I say tell me what's wrong
She says her grandparents really don't like her as much
Since she's running out of time and can't pray the obligated times
People say she's Hindu
People say she's from The Middle East
People say she's a million things
But to me she is the best bud, a human, like you and I
I want to be in combat, as well as she
I want to be in the Marines, she wants to try Army
She tells me my father wanted to but he couldn't because of his vision
She tells me the same might happen to her
But it's the thought
I told her I wanted to go to the Middle East before I join the Marines
She said I'll go with you
I say why?
She says because you need someone to protect you
I say okay we'll add that to the many states and countries to visit after we graduate
She tells me I've been in the middle of war before
I say what do you mean
She tells me she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time
She tells me you know it's not a bad place in the Middle East
I smile and I say I know
It's not the country itself but the people within it
She has relatives in India
But was born in Richardson, TX
She is Muslim
I have relatives In America
I was born in Denton, TX
I am Christian
Hatred is not simply taught.

The Devil doesn't have horns
The Devil doesn't have one human leg and one cow leg
Like my daddy told me
I have figured it out on my own
I am here to warn you of an old folk talk
Do no evil, hear no evil, see no evil
God made you what you are
Why try to change genders?
God made the animals to hunt and eat
Why become a vegetarian?
Why **** the animals murderousely and lie them out like corpses?
You must eat what you ****
Your body is a temple
Why must you run it with a blade?
Marijuana was once a beautiufl leaf
Told to me from generations
My mother's grandma would tell her stories who then my mom told me
We humans took over this land
That God was more than willing to share
We abused his beautiful leaf
It is not good to be a drunkyard
The devil is always lurking
He is not covered in anything
He is disguised as our guilty pleasures
The blade
The ****
The bottle
What you can't have
It may seem okay to us
But in the end
Whether you believe or chose not to
Know that you will face God
As will as I.

Today at work
Someone gave me a honey bun
It was sweet
But not as much as your kisses
It was delicious
But not as much as your tender graze
A million memories of us unfolded
Someone gave me a cup of coffee
I watched the steam rise from the cup
I thought about our souls colliding
Oh, my honey bun.