i want you to tell me
that my hair smells like
drug store shampoo
that was bought with a coupon
that i ripped with my nibbled fingernails
from the sunday paper

i will ask you to ask him
because he won’t respond to me
i enjoy making people say what i want them to say
my sentences inspire people to lie

when i can’t decide to use a pencil
or a pen
i hold them both in my hands
to decide if i’m willing to erase what
i believe in

i like book ends
no spaces in between lies
less than a 10pt
there are no blanks to put my own words in

i drink so much coffee
to fill in the filter
that i do not have

a girl once told me that if i paint my nails
i will have bad luck
so i never paint my nails

i wish i didn’t fold all the laundry you gave me
i should have just folded my own