Poem #717

hard girl wants to be soft
tiny, fragile, precious, lovely
so kind that she’s an angel
hard girl wants to be soft
but she speaks too loudly
and jokes too roughly
hard girl is soft
she cries everyday
she is more fragile than she knows

Poem #710

a vice gripping my vagina
white-black rips the edge of my vision
it’s been building the whole time
I shove pills in my mouth
chasing them with scalding water
please, make this work
I gulp another one for good measure
the light turns green
the car slugs home
every position is pain
until the medicine creeps in

Poem #708

shadow of the fan strobing on the ceiling
my skin burns like hot ice
maybe I should sleep
fall into the heavy slumber of summer
dream of lazily watching bugs crawl over me
their minuscule legs tickling my arms and legs
they bite
I scratch the pink welts raw
maybe I should stay awake