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emma joy Feb 2014
I

I remember when I wore pigtails and ******* sneakers
because I didn't know how to tie a bow.
My grandmother knit me up in pastel sunshine
and nothing really seemed to bother me.
Time cracks like stale nail polish.
And I still can't seem to get it off-

I'm thinking about white
I'm thinking about
tying knots - tying ties - tying everything
together so it doesn't unravel
again like coffee drenched yarn.

And it occurs to me somedays,
That what I love, I really don't like at all.
And I keep chasing after a sweater that will never fit
me right in the arms

II

I used to be studious
I used to be hungry
I would pick at my fingers - pick at my split ends - and focus -
on the tasks at hand.

Now all I pick is you. And it

makes me green - and it makes me shiver
that I have Priorities -
and Grappling Dreams - and Melancholy Wishes that are...
a hopeless potential.

But. If.

Only I kept up with the drudgery
I wouldn't have gotten so fixed on the blue in your eyes.

III**

The warmth in your coat, love, isn't something I'd like to steal.
But, if it's alright with you,
I would like to cram my hands in the pockets.
And I think -

If only -
I could feel the way your fingers feel
when they delicately tuck in the buttons
as if each were a newborn sun,
I would understand what it's like
to live with you
in these moments
that are barren with cause.

Your arms are too short to wrap around my circle
and I am too grey to feel light.
It's a hopeless cause
But -
I do know,
when your head is over my shoulder
and your hair breezes over my mouth
I feel again like you fit with me.

It's always,
red bows of heart -
tied in the middle -
but all in all -
completely undone.
emma joy Feb 2014
maybe one day
25 years from now
when my mind isn't so dull
and my trees aren't so bare
and my throat isn't so numb
I'll conjure up enough words
free from disfluency and stutter
that capture moments
like the ******* model 20.
Efflorescence or
Chatoyance or
Gossamer
will coin it all,
And I'll write them on parched paper
with solid gold ink and
seal it
so the words never escape me again.
But until then, let's just go with love.
emma joy Dec 2013
Can you sing me to sleep again?
No dear my voice is hoarse.
I would massage it if I could.

I want to crawl deep inside your pocket
and live next to the quarters and
gum wrappers.
You will never feel empty again

Springtime is my favorite
because I can see that white
outline of yours
more clearly.

You are so fresh.
You are a berry.
Yes. That is what you are.

The finest of them all.
emma joy Dec 2013
She told me a story
of how she used to clean cars
for a living.
The oddness of a perfectly
carved girl
with seven noses.
emma joy Dec 2013
I woke up this morning
with red food coloring
streaming down my
ribs and solid gold
tears flooding my lap.
I thought:
"Maybe, if I bury my
face down deep into
the cold, I'll drown."
And then I thought:
"Oh no."
emma joy Dec 2013
I remember taking the twenty out of the drawer so effortlessly.
It didn't bother me
that it was the money
my grandmother gave me
to put in the bank
for college.
emma joy Dec 2013
I can't be free of the river dread
that has consumed me whole.
But, I am trying to learn how to swim
again.
They keep throwing me life jackets
and oars,
but it's a sinking ship.
Don't worry, I tell them.
Don't worry, I love you
and I'll be back soon.
Maybe later if not sooner.
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