here i recall the moment i bit at you with venom in my teeth. after decaying for so long i was over allowing you to be the mold growing on my bones, and i’ve ripped off every layer and i’ve rid myself of the remnants of you and i don’t care who sees my dry, florid skin because you are gone now. second chances were well-deserved but thirdfourthfifth pass and you are no longer welcome back. harsh words and three strikes struck you dumb as an arrow through your tongue. but that’s just what happens when you shoot at artemis.

here i recall the moment i scanned the dusky sky and saw more than freckled cheeks turned away from me. andromeda is breaking free from her chains and cassiopeia is no longer made of stone and i am aware of the blood coursing through my veins; i finally feel my own existence. the first time i felt love i realized romanticism is a mere fraction of what can swell a heart and i found that you must learn to find beauty in every blemish before another can see through your eyes.

here i recall the moment i felt a warm glow engulf my being, and even though i’m not the most confident or the most eloquent i still found a way to break through the seven concrete layers i’ve been caged in since i learned the word “impossible”. i have spent 501 days shattering my obsidian shell, and i will spend 501 more perfecting my war paint and becoming a golden combatant, ready to fight a winning battle, and, well, one thing i'll say in my favor: i am ******* hard to ****.