I am a quiet human, the buzzing in me, the growing hole in my chest, the black in my belly filled with dirt, and the words of my Mama that she said before she descended into the depth of your stole
“[redacted], you are to dig into the grass. You are to bury your heart there. You are to leave it there and live forever.”
— Joe, III
flowers are not really flowers
and
birds are not really birds
but I speak of them anyway
like flowers are flowers
and birds are birds
looming behind my father’s barn,
and beyond the garden gates
and beyond the windowsill
that you know so well
You have to remind men that they don’t have power over you and you don’t owe them attention, emotional investment, love, time, or consideration just because they like you or because he’s a “nice guy”.
