contrast

i like to feel my stomach,

where it's soft and then turns

into the hardness of my ribs.

i like the contrast, the

feeling of it underneath my hand.

i don't know why

but i like my contrasts

and the way that sometimes

i feel so low

and other times like i'm

ten feet above the ground.

i like that i can laugh

and then lie in bed at night,

feeling the loneliness settle on top of me

as an extra sheet that fails to keep me warm.

i like that the wild, contradicting variation

like New England weather, like a prediction

versus a storm.

i like knowing that i can feel everything,

all the violence of myself.

i like hurting because it means i'm real,

and happiness for the same reason.

i like my contrasts.

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