Why Don't You Cry?

Just to avoid confusion, you read this poem right to left, not as two columns. It also might add a cool element to it if it could be read with two people. Again, please critique this. It's in an especially rough draft form. 

Why Don’t You Cry?

Why don’t you cry, dear?

What do you mean, dear?

Just as I said.

Why don’t you cry?

I heard what you said.

And I think I cry.

No, you don’t cry.

Oh, I don’t, do I?

So why don’t you?

Oh, bother, why don’t you?

I do. You know I do.

I know. It’s true.

Did you ever?

Maybe. I can’t say I never.

Did it help, do you think?

Perhaps. I can’t think.

Does it help? When you cry?

It does. I wouldn’t lie.

But why should I?

You mean, why cry?

I’d feel so weak.

But you feel so bleak.

I don’t think I could do it.

There’s nothing much to it.

You just have to let go.

I won’t! I won’t do it!

Don’t talk like you know!

It’s all right, you know.

Why can’t you just go?

Go where?

I don’t care!

Just anywhere but here!

There. There’s a tear.

Too Seldom

Hopefully this starts my posts off with a bang and they'll get better from here. It's just a draft, so if you have critiques, please don't hesitate to take an inky scalpel to it. Thanks!

Too Seldom

Too seldom have I sat

On the back of a bay stallion

Just comin’ over the rise

As the sun sets of the far hills

And the horse is huffin’ and wheezin’

And his hot sides against my legs move

In and out like great bellows

And we both know we ain’t caught the sun.

Naw, not this time,

But the bay and I both know

We’re gonna ride it down

One of these here days

And I’ll throw a loop around it and pull

And tug and get it back up in the sky.

Too seldom have I just sat

And watched the sun gettin’ away again

And patted the thick next of the horse,

My hand comin’ back all hot and damp

And I can’t help but laugh and

Put a new dirty spot on top of

All the other dirty spots

As I drag my hand across my jeans.

Too seldom have I sat

And counted the stars

Peekin’ out one by one like owls

Makin’ sure it was night really,

That the sun ain’t just gone behind a cloud,

Little ground-owl stars pop out their sparklin’ eyes

Down there on the horizon where we last seen the sun

Scamperin’ off with its great blazin’ tail

Tucked snug between its legs.

Higher up, big barn owl stars and screech owl stars

Blink into life, bright and cold and lovely

And a million years away.

Too seldom have I just sat

And tugged the reins back and headed home,

Ridin’ through an upside-down world

Where everything that’s beautiful is above me

And far too far away

And everything that’s alone and ghostly is down below

Waitin’ for life and

Somethin’ worth lookin’ at to come along.

Too seldom have I sat

And let the horse find the way back home,

Not carin’ too much one way or the other

If we ended up somewhere strange and new

Full of danger and straight answers

And everything that ain’t none of us never knew

The stars lookin’ down on the both of us

Like some dusty old judge, tired and half-blind

To the world and the truth

Just wantin’ to condemn some poor ornery fool,

Long as it means he ain’t gonna miss supper.

Too seldom have I just sat

Eyes closed and heart open

Tryin’ to remember who it is I am exactly

Or maybe who it is that I was once

And everywhere I was supposed to go

And all them things I was supposed to do,

Assumin’ I didn’t get lost along the way,

Stumblin’ off the trail after some mirage

Called Love or Money or Happiness.

Too seldom, you know?

Too seldom.