Dear Maintenance Guy or Building Engineer

Dear Maintenance Guy or Building Engineer,

You made me want to frolick with you. Even though that is something black people don’t do but will do when no one is looking. I wanted to hear your voice some days but all I could get from you was a “Hi” but never a “How you doing?”. When I saw you walking you reminded me of high school because I had this hot feeling in my chest and I would switch by you like I was fast. I was. I did not want to admit that you stole my heart with one glance. So I played it real cool. Too cool. You mentored children. I wanted you to mentor all my boys so that you could just walk into the room and talk to me about the progress they made or just what I needed to be aware or how they could do anything. Aww! Just to hear you speak. I never made up a story about you because I wanted to get to know you. Now I try to find some small creation of those simple parts of you in some other guy and you know that that is not working. Just like I tell others, she ain’t me and they ain't you.

I saw you walk into your purpose, whether you know that or not. I saw you glance at your phone, I want to think that you were checking on things from the principal and getting a list of children you had to check in on. I saw you one day outside a building standing in the sun. Your skin always smooth and satisfied with the right type of oil or lotion. Your head shaved to glisten and your glasses always shaded and never light. I glanced only to be impressed and again you stared at your phone only to say, “hi”. I wanted you to text me, shit call me, hell video chat with me. I wanted to see you and shake your hand. Your heart is beautiful and I can’t forget it. I think you left your number and I didn’t get it. Could you give it to me again? I want to call you. I want to get to know you for real. I want to listen to you speak about where you came from and how you got there. I want to hear what you eat, how you prepare it, the music you like, the movies you watch, how you got to be so suave. Cause ain’t nothing like a black man that knows how to move across the floor the way that you do. The epitome of your essence is what caught my attention. It has also captured my…I can’t finish. Knowing you will never read this or that I may never see you again. I remember you on that sunny day. Dude I want to know you.