Hi! My name is --
       Armpit fat hanging out from the strangulation of my push up bra,
       Unlovely love handles poorly clothed by leggings waistband,
       A zebra-striped, stretch-marked ***,
       Shoulder-length, untamed mane resting on weightlifter traps,
       Snub nose on a face as circular and flat as a waiter’s tray,
       Except for the hilly scar on the tip of my snout,
       Eye bags of a zombie risen from the bed,
       Juicy, voluminous, red Skittle zits,
       Accompanied by a mole like Marilyn’s
       (But this one ain’t so ****),
       Four foot eleven and a half plus high heel calluses,
-- Katie for short.
But despite what I’m called,
Maybe we can get to know each other
A little better?

Skin
Deep

Touch me once again
Make me feel alive
Before I lose myself

There's no point in trying
If I can't feel myself
Human or not
The texture is not the same

Can't get up
                     Can't get up
                                         Can't get up
                                                              ­Get away from this dream
                                               Won't give up
                        Won't give up
Won't give up

Won't fall at the seams
As my skin falls apart
Softness reveals the truth
Sticky bleeding wound

If I tie myself up would you feel the stitches
My flawless skin now permanently blemished

Please don't falter
Tell me I am still soft
Please lie to me
I want to feel the same
I don't want to feel the weight
Of myself becoming nothing

Inside I am pink and delicate
I don't want to fall apart

Skin
Deep

Don't touch me friend
I am too afraid I'll bleed
I am just too fragile
Like shattered glass
End up hurting myself instead



© Sofia Villagrana 2018

Insecurities
Are friends to me
They stick closer to me than family
They sit opposite me at the dinner table
And are my plus ones at every social event
I can push them away
And ignore their eye lines
But when the crowds are gone
They are all that remain
And they'll never leave me
As loyal as pets
Closer than lovers
Always offering a hand
And word of advice
Until I drown out the words of everyone else
And they are all I have
And all I hear

Burn brightly.
Burn until your will is ash.
Let your essence cover the world
in wide, sweeping strokes,
scorching houses and forests as you go.
Let the fire in the pit of your stomach
devour your fears, your insecurities.
Let them be remnants of the past
and nothing more.

The red, orange, and yellow of tonight
will last forever.

You see a lot of girls talking about their insecurities
But hardly any boys speak about theirs
It’s like we’re simply not allowed
Like it’s a rule that you can’t be open about your feelings
Well I am
I’m one of the few boys who are
I’m comfortable enough to talk about my uncomfort
And there’s a lot of it
Some boys can relate to girl problems
I relate to them all
I bleed every month
I’m uncomfortable with a lot of my body
I feel feelings
Everyone feels feelings
Girls are encouraged to talk about them
But what about us boys?
Can’t we be sensitive?
Because some boys are insecure
And we need to express it