Girl, Why Don'T You? Poem by Gil Tee

Girl why don’t you shoot me? ‘Cause I don’t know what to say.
I’m so tongue-tied by your beauty, I’m dumbstruck every day
On account of being near you, and the sight of your bronze thighs,
An inch or three above the knee, reduces me to sighs.
And I’m just like a teenager, the way they used to be
Before they were emboldened by the myth that love is free.
But there’s always a price to pay, love’s not so cheaply bought
And every time you look my way, I’m silenced by the thought
That your love is too dear for me, it’s way beyond my means,
And even when you’re near to me, you’re not part of my scene.
Oh! You could be a goddess; you hold your head so high
And step out so imperious whenever you walk by;
You could be the princess in an antique fairy tale
Or a modern body beautiful, perfect in each detail;
A woman men would die for in the days when men were men
And fools like me just sigh for, like a teenager again.

Girl, why don’t you shoot me? Whole armies march for you
And you know you could recruit me if you only wanted to.

Girl, why don’t you shoot me? I’m underneath your sway,
Beleaguered by your beauty, which I cannot hold at bay.

Girl, why don’t you shoot me? ‘Cause I need to be put down;
Why don’t you execute me or run me out of town?

Girl, why don’t you shoot me? Your victory’s complete;
I’m broken by your beauty, headlong in retreat.

Girl, why don’t you shoot me? ‘Cause I’m really feeling blue,
And I feel it so acutely most of all because of you.

Girl, why don’t you shoot me, and shoot me straight away?
I’m dumbfounded by your beauty, there’s nothing else to say-ay-ay-ay.