there's a cut on your lip
a bruise on your arm
little pink scratches
a scrape on your elbow

a cut from a kiss that got too rough
a bruise from a bite in my bedroom
scratches from my nails when I hugged too tightly
a scrape from when I pulled you back to me

tell somebody you're falling for them.

text them everyday. sweet messages: i miss you, i like you, come see me.

hold their hand.

kiss them on the forehead. the cheek. the neck.

place your arm around their shoulder.

talk about your dreams.

make them say that they love you back. they'll say it.

leave. for an extended period of time. months, maybe.

become distant.

don't send anymore texts, unless maybe you're *****.

keep your responses vague. they will stress and worry constantly about what you mean.

if you see them in public, avoid. ignore.

tell them how you're seeing other people.

keep your meetings short. zero physical contact.

slowly, stop responding to their messages.

never tell them if you really did fall for them.

im sorry, but i liked it a lot better when you were obsessed with me.

what ever happened to not being able to keep your hands away ?
what happened to texts every minute, asking to see me ?

i liked us better when you had no control.

**** me in a summer dress
all pastels and spaghetti straps
kicked off ballet slippers and a green cardigan

sweat with me in a bus stop
we wait to ride downtown
our cheeks sun-burn blushed and shoulders freckled

swim with me in the river
polka dotted swimsuits and a sweaty beer
inner-tubes and soggy hair. a big wet dog.

sit in the grass and itch your legs
wearing jean shorts and cotton t shirts
black sunglasses and white earphones, hot cigarettes

invest in a fan for your room
while we sweat through the blue dotted sheets
peel off sticky underwear and wipe your damp forehead

washing grass stains from my dress
pastels stained and straps loose
ballet slippers and a green cardigan

**** me in a summer dress

you showed me constellations and i cried
now when i see the big dipper, my eyes start to sting again

who knew the little one was so small ?
i'm glad it made you laugh to see me so happy

thank god your astronomy teacher taught you about shapes in the sky
so you could make a girl cry chilly, 40 degree tears

maybe it was the vastness of space
or the tiny specks of light, something astral

the significance of opening my eyes to a huge sight like that
or the way you pointed into the sky and found them, easy

i think of your smile when i see the stars

I’m a metal cage with a heart inside.

Equipped with legs so I may run away at a moment’s notice.
Arms, so I can push you away with ease.

My cage’s bars are barbed wire. You cannot put your arms around me.
There is a great, steel lock at my cage’s latch, so you are not allowed in.

I have harsh, leather gloves, so you may never reach for my hand.
My ears are plugged. You cannot sway me with words.
My cage’s handle is poisoned. Pluck me up, and it will cost you.

I am tough. You cannot fight through my exterior.
You cannot reach my insides.
I will not let you near. I will not let you touch me. I will not let you hold my hand, or sway me with words. Don’t try to pick me up.

My metal is cold. My lock is rusty. My leather is dry and cracked.

I think: why doesn’t anyone come comfort me?

I learned when I was
fifteen that I could make men
fall in love with me.

I learned that I could
control someone solely on
the bulge in their pants.

I learned that sometimes
people don't fall in love with
personality.

I learned how to break
someone's heart without looking
them right in the eye.

I learned when I was
fifteen that I knew more than
I should know about this.