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 May 2018 Ben Hickman
Mike Hauser
Where went the time
Where we could speak our minds
And not be afraid
We'd be threatened for our lives

What's good for the goose
Is not the gander the same
How tight or loose is the noose
On which they have us hang

When you say what you want
When you speak your mind
They tell you what to do so you don't
Step out of the line

As long as your point's the same
As their point of view
You're allowed to do and say
What they want you to

Can't have you out on your own
Giving others rays of hope
When they've kept them in the dark this long
On the things that they should know

When you go completely rouge
You'll find they do not like
While trying to tarnish your halo
When speaking your own mind
I find it very disturbing the way people are attacked these days for having their own opinion... This is not going to turn out good.
 May 2018 Ben Hickman
Haylin
You don't hate yourself
because of the
shape of your nose,
angle of your eyes,
length of your arms,
or size of your waist.

Your self hatred
runs so much deeper
than those things.
And
Your self worth
runs even deeper.
 May 2018 Ben Hickman
Haylin
Perhaps the reason I hate myself so much,
                        
                                                                 is not because I am a horrible person..

                        but because I have given my love to everyone else

                                                                                                                     and left none for myself..
 Apr 2018 Ben Hickman
R
Dysphoria
 Apr 2018 Ben Hickman
R
"You'll be fine,
It'll be okay,
It will get better,
birthname"

They say

If only they knew that sometimes a name is a shackle, holding us to what we've never been and keeping us there until we can admit to ourselves that we've never been fine, nothing's okay and it first gets worse

"Why are you so mad,
Nothing seems to be wrong,
Why aren't you happy,
girl"

They say

If only they knew that sometimes feelings are subtle masks, painted onto our faces with the blood we drew yesterday to hide what we need to say to escape the viscous cycle of hate and tears and figurative death, and emotions are betrayals of what we need to be

"Everything would be fine,
They'd all be cool with it,
Why can't you just come out"

They say
(skipping
my name as the smallest act of a
hand in the darkness)

If only they knew that coming out is something that never goes fine, a delicate balance of worse and worst that makes our hearts beat so fast that cool is no longer a phrase but a temperature we need to reach in order to play our everlasting game of pretend

and

a name is a shackle, holding us to what we've never been and keeping us there until we can admit to ourselves that we've never been fine, nothing's okay and it first gets worse and even when it's not said we can hear it in the air, lingering on their lips like the slurs that we always expect to hear but haven't yet because to slur they need a target, an out, and coming out is something that never goes fine, a delicate balance of worse and worst that makes our hearts beat so fast that cool is no longer a phrase but a temperature we need to reach while the world spins faster and hotter and turning on the fan at night just keeps us up, dreading the dawn where we must once again play our game of pretend like everyone's born how they'll be for the rest of their lives and no one is different from the norm while still being okay

and

we go to Society everyday with a smile on our faces to say

"You'll be fine,
It'll be okay,
It will get better,
birthname;
Why are you so mad,
Nothing seems to be wrong,
Why aren't you happy,
birthsex"

because emotions are like coming out delicate scales of worst and worser and when we can't feel them we get enough cool relief to realize That This
Dysphoria
Is
Crushing
And
We
Can't
Get
Okay
Save me
And as she catch raindrops in her hands
"Do you love me?" She asked

He smiled
Making all her butterflies go mad

"I like you" He replied
And from that moment,
She knew that it was not
Raindrops that made her eyes wet.
"Like" is always never enough.
 Apr 2018 Ben Hickman
Lily
My first love
Came to me at a young age.
I was lost, and inexperienced
In the ways of the world.

My first love
Came to me when I was
Lacking the things I needed,
And all of a sudden I was provided for.

My first love
Came to me powerfully.
I felt complete and whole;
With him I was content.

My first love
Gave me a warm feeling
In the pit of my stomach,
Similar to butterflies.

My first love
That will always preside all others,
That nobody will ever replace, is
FOOD.
 Apr 2018 Ben Hickman
Isla
love.
 Apr 2018 Ben Hickman
Isla
She is unfinished stories and dog-eared adventure books. She is adorned with string lights and stray cat toys, an overflowing junk drawer and a perfectly loud laugh. She is kind brown eyes and witty comments. She is first.

He is pastel tears and bird feathers. He is Twenty One Pilots' lyrics and faded polaroids. He speaks in hushed tones and drinks mint tea. He will hold and let himself be held. He is empathy.

She is firey spirit and winged eyeliner. Glitter and badassery. She is scarred and beautiful. She protects and yells. Cries and laughs. She is ***** jokes and black clothes. She is who I am too timid to be.

He is a lone flame and endless darkness all at once. He is a sharp blade and subdued smile. Strong coffee, pop-tarts, and ripped jeans. Tae kwon do and boy scouts. He is too often forgotten.

She is buck teeth and Greatest Showman lyrics. Stubbornness and freckles. Conceals her self-consciousness with mock confidence. Funny faces and the best dance moves. She hides my things and steals my clothes. She stirs up trouble in the best way.

He is soft smiles and lego armies. He loves cats and make-believe (though video games are his first love). Creates pillow forts and mysteries, art and movie magic. He wears glowstick necklaces and no shirt proudly, as he should. He loves my heart.

She is willow trees and afternoon tea. Gentle rain and improv games. Quirky and polite, she is decorated with her gap-toothed smile and childish style. She hands out stickers and strums her ukelele with affection. She inspires me.

He. Oh God, he. He is summer skies and skateboards. Braces and freckles. He is a shell-collector and songwriter. He loves the stage. Compassion and hand-holding, cheek kisses and free smiles. He is devotion.

They hold me, and I hold them. We cry, we laugh, we hate. We sing and we dance, we talk about our dreams. We depend on each other. We love one another. Many would not be here without me.

And I couldn't be here without them.
This is my longest poem on HelloPoetry, dedicated to my wonderful, wonderful friends, those described in this poem and otherwise. I love you so much, don't ever forget that. ( also, kudos to you if you actually read all that!)
 Apr 2018 Ben Hickman
Cory
Your name repeated as if I were young
Forever remains on the tip of my tongue
Enthralled by Raven hair and lace
Your crimson lips make my heart race
Your eyes consume
As a great and crashing typhoon
A glance and I'm gone
Drug underneath the waves,
And lost forever in the tide.
I embrace the pull
I am home
And I am free
I wrote this for someone on a napkin and I was going to put it under her coffee cup one morning to find. But, never did and now it's too late for such foolish endeavors. She was my inspiration, but now because of my failure I could spill a thousand words on my broken heart.
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