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Like Real People Do

In a sermon, the preacher says:

*"The Lord created us in his image,

all who desecrate themselves

too destroy a part of God."*

 

I've murdered pets and

alphabetised people by

sense and style and laughs like

a rack of dresses.

I've kissed girls just because

they said they could never like me

like that

as if their lips were some

sacred maiden's blush and not

a pair of fleshy rims.

As if I couldn't read their

***** little lesbian fantasies

underneath those

angel faces.

 

Susan from accounting thinks I need

to see a therapist. I think she needs to see

a mirror. We don't really get along, but ****

maybe if drink enough

these clocks

these blue collars

these billboards with the pearly white teeth

won't look like straightjackets anymore.

 

I have this thing where

sometimes I'm just so tired

of being a body.

The world's a ******* advertisement,

Everyone with their scripted

good mornings and

chemical feelings

down to the last **** t.

 

My skin is a cage

and I'll strip it off like

a *****

Why be happy when you

could be interesting?

 

Love like a bluejay,

Fists in our stomachs-

The headlights of a car coming

at 80 miles an hour straight at you,

pummeling in a stream of light.

The taste of a cigarette after

it's been on someone else's lips.

 

Don't you dare tell me you understand.

 

When I tell her this

my therapist only smiles,

Darling it's only purgatory.

 

Allen knew. Nietzsche knew. Woolf knew.

In all our hearts-

We've already killed God.

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Written by
chichee
19 / F / Sydney
Published
Dec 14, 2018
Lines·Words
53·259
Notes

Experimenting with voices, Richard Siken, Frank Bidart, Allen Ginsberg. Title taken from a Hozier song under the same name.

Tags
#lotsofcussing#imactuallyfine#repression#angry#entrapped#idontpretendtoknowanythingaboutchristianity#probablygotsomethingswrong
Permission

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Tell chichee how you would like to use it. We review requests before forwarding them.

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