the hickey has faded
when will you

it's hard to sleep.
especially when
the moon shines too bright
through your window
your ribs still hurt from that fall
you took last wednesday
the guy you like still doesn't care
and that friend of his who wanted you so badly
got what he wanted
your knees are blue from falling to hug the toilet
ruining your tooth enamel once again
because you ate too much
your sister texted you, she's not happy
and she's too far away for you to visit
you haven't done your homework
you're so small and the house is so big
so quiet, so full of secrets
you can't face everyone at school
and the thought of going scares you
you don't know how to quit your job
man, your boss is gonna **** you
you're ugly and have gained weight
and some guy started a rumor that
you're a sleep-around
though you've never really been with anyone
but oh, people believe him

it's hard to sleep
so i don't

well i don't like YOU
but i kind of like US
yeah, i like us
and i like that sneaky picture my friends took
when you kissed me
and it hurts my stomach when i think of how
i'm not the only girl you kissed that night
which i guess makes me guilty of double standards
'cause even though you were the first of the night
you weren't the last
or the middle one
or the one after that
but yeah, let's say the first one is all that counts
and then we can both be happy
we
us
us
us
us

Stereotypes are a   commodity
Stereotypically
My childhood should be filled with only happiness
Happiness because of my color
No struggle

Struggle should never have confronted me
Never should have shown me how to survive
Or how to better myself
Because me being me I realize

I realize the uneducated hide
Hide behind stereotypes the unconsciously enforce
Enforcing by proving the statistics and stereotypes
Statistics and stereotypes that have to have an origin

If you judge me by stereotypes
You will fail to realize
The stereotypes you fight to uphold
will never define me

I will succeed not because of my color
Or because of a stereotype
I will accomplish my goals
Only because I refuse to let others limit
The excellence I can achieve
By pushing stereotypes that hold hardly any truth onto me

his fingers dance across
my shoulder blades and down
my arm until they reach my
hands, where they trace patterns
on my palm

you're safe with me, i
swear, he says

                             and i believe him

Honesty
      shouldn't
           hurt,
                      Neither should love.

         But things
     don't
           always go
 as planned.