Can’t they all just learn
To leave me alone
Is it so hard to fathom
That I like being on my own?

And no, it’s not lonely
I don’t need you help
I am perfectly capable
Of loving myself...

I'm so proud of you,
she said to herself.

A mother and father
laughed in the distance,
embracing a young woman.

School books laid all around her,
but the only friendly face in sight
was her own.

The happy family entered the house,
raving about a show they saw that night.
We're so proud of you,* cooed the mother.
The father beamed with pride.

She crept down the stairs,
and met the happy family
in the kitchen.

The family stared back at her,
as if she did not belong.

Tests and papers with high marks lined
every cabinet, the table, and the refrigerator.
Theater medals and trophies had a glass showcase of their own.

She sighed heavily and went back to her room,
littered with thick books and journals.

I'm so proud of you,
she said to herself,
because no one else would.

Little heart beats
Constant hammer
In construction
Sonogram panic

Do you not want
to be with me
because you’re afraid
of showing me
the demon that lies
inside of you?

Sweetie, don’t worry,
because I deal with demons
every single day
and‬ I am telling you,
I will not deal with yours
because you will learn
to deal with your demon, yourself,
one day.

I will be here
and we will fight
our demons
until they go away
and I promise you,
unlike them,
I will be here to stay.

A collection of words dancing upon the blank
canvas of my screen.
Mocking me, they sit
unaudited, unfiltered, nonsensical strings
of words that fit so beautifully,
so tempestuous, they sit
together.