Please
I say.
Please don't go,
I beg my grandmother
when her breath wavers
and her milky eyes
land on me.
Please don't tell them,
I cry to my teacher
when she caught me
smoking a cigarette
on the empty rooftop.
Please don't break my heart,
I whimper to him
when he cradles
my wet face
in his hands
which feels like home.
Thank you
I say.
Thank you for coming,
I greet the visitors
dressed in black
when they whisper
and peer at my dry eyes.
Thank you for everything,
I tell my parents
when they left me
at the boarding school.
Thank you for the gift,
I smiled at him
when he gave me
pearl earrings
to adorn
my unpierced ears.
Of course,
Please and Thank you
can be
beautiful too.
Please
I say
Please keep him safe,
I plead to God
when my brother left
to join the navy.
Please come again,
I called out to the customers
when they stroll out
of my bustling café.
Please buy me ice cream,
I grinned at him
when he waved me
goodbye
over the fence.
Thank you
I say.
Thank you my dear,
I chuckled at the little girl
who said I looked like
a fairy
in my wedding dress.
Thank you for the surprise,
I cried with my best friends
when they bounced into
my home
with pots of
birthday food
made with love.
Thank you for life,
I whispered to the trees,
flowers,
sun,
chocolates,
myself.
They are manners,
but they are also much more.
tell someone
please
and thank you
today.
this is to the simple yet beautiful words that I say without much thought
