that shade of lipstick made you bolder my dear.
the eyeliner put you in the direction you're supposed to go.
there's still time to veer off the right path
for the one that makes you feel more whole.
your mother's eyes might scream "I told you so,"
but that's all just talk. you're golden. I swear, you're golden.

baseball games and lingerie
will only keep him around for so long.
sooner or later, you're going to have to give him
something that he can hold with both hands.
but for now, you'll bide your time;
coughing up your own ****** lungs
like there is some sort of return policy.

a hot shower might drown out the sound
of her screams, but it won’t drown you.
you tell her that you’d sooner march
straight down to hell than feed the liars in her soul.
through tears, she replies that even though they say
that lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice,
you get her every single time.

my sister has fire in her fingertips;
she might burn you, but she swears
she’ll keep you warm at night.
there’s a long list of boys
that she will kiss by the end of October,
**** on her tongue before you even learn their names.
she scars them with her lips licked with flames,
and they catch the heat in their throats
so their hearts won’t burn.
it’s just like grandmother always said
while the water boiled in the kitchen;
hold your own, hold your own, hold your own.

I'm extremely hard to love
unless you're being forced to,
but I swear that I'll try my best
to make it worth your while.

most of my house is contained on one floor;
my mother can't move like she used to.
she can never keep the moles and gophers
from eating her garden, but she tries anyway.
the look of accomplishment painted on her face
when she picks her own tomatoes is worth the struggle.
it makes my best friend feel at home.

my father buys new kitchen appliances
and turns to home improvement when i'm out of town.
I always joke that these things fill the void.
he has a wine cellar and a bar in our basement
that we use once a month because he likes to show his friends.
it's just another way to prove that he knows everything.

“I will give you rest,” I said. sometimes, you get impatient and you just want to hold some people longer than others.

“I will give you rest,” I said. she will be tanner there, the sun illuminating all of her perfections.

“I will give you rest,” I said. dreaming is just a preview of what is to come. my home is no place for nightmares. that’s what my brother is for.

“I will give you rest,” I said. I know that she is scared, but the other side is greater than anything she could ever imagine.

“I will give you rest,” I said. she is too precious for a world like this; too fragile. she is forever mine, and I have to take her.

“I will give you rest,” I said. it is time.

she gives in to the silence because it will be her home longer than the twelve year’s she’s spent chasing the sun.