touch the stove, they say, it won’t hurt
you look at the bright red stove
you put your finger up close to it
you can feel the burning heat emanating from it
you pull your hand back
why didn’t you touch it they ask
you CAN touch it can’t you?
well yes but it would hurt me
but i’m telling you it won’t hurt they say
even if i know it won’t hurt me, i physically can’t bring myself to touch it, i tell them
they place their open palm on the neon red stove
see? i can do it
i don’t know why you can do it and i can’t, all i know is that i can’t.
now imagine you live with this
everyday at school people burn their hands on the stove
they look at you expecting the same
it’s very easy to laugh at people who can’t touch the stove
it’s very easy to get upset at why wouldn’t they touch the stove MY STOVE that i have just for you to touch
imagine every couple sundays your family has stove touching parties
entirely dedicated to touching the stove
can you imagine standing around people you know
people you care about
all touching the stove
as you stand there awkwardly
as you imagine yourself 5 years in the future
ten
fifty
watching others touch the stove
others watching you NOT touch the stove
you would try to tell them that you WISH you could touch the stove
you might try to tell them you would give away anything you had just to be able to touch the stove
but it doesn’t matter at the end of the day
because you would touch the stove if you wanted to
you just don’t want to
you’re just stubborn
the ikiam 