I am tangled hair
after long drives
on hot summer
afternoons with the
windows down, stuck
in that timeless moment
when you can't
help but smile
because you know
that you're free.

I am the freckles
scattered across the
backs of my
arms and hands that
make up hundreds
of tiny constellations—
all complex,
all imperfect,
all beautiful.

I am the song
that takes you back
to that simplistic moment
after your junior year
of high school—
the one that you
haven't listened to
in years, but
still remember
every word like it's
the back of
your hand.

I was never put here
on accident.
I am no mistake.

-k.p//i am

there is no control in anything

i feel i have no choice
but to tear apart this body
as if it's some worn down structure
with framework too shaky to house
anything other than good intentions

and i see the look in my
mother's eyes as she wishes
she could do more for me
but i have found no way to
alleviate this battle—
staying up late for sins i know
i'll regret in the morning

and the only things that stay
are those i so desperately
wish would disappear

-k.w//framework

I should've known
When you said your least favorite part of the ocean
were the waves,
That you wouldn't be there for me
When I crashed.

I wrote you a letter on the back of a napkin, but it will never grace your touch. My feelings are so indistinguishable, and nothing should be written in ink only to be crossed out soon after. This was a habit of yours, and everything has been written in red because of it.

Memories of us are collecting dust in a shoebox beneath my bed that I won't dare open until my heart is for another. Because although one day, these things won't cut me open or sting, I'm still skipping over the third step leading up to my front door now.

Your love for me was fleeting, and that is all right. I do well on my own, but you always wondered why I was scared of calling you mine. Darling, this is what I feared.

-k.w//written in red

I got drunk
in attempt
to drown out these
thoughts of you.

You came back
the next morning
in the form of a
headache.

-k.w//i escaped you, but only for a night

I am composed of all
the broken promises
and forbidden secrets
of others.
I am a shelter to many,
and even after they've left,
these pieces will
remain safe within me—
always.

-k.w//vault

You used to care when it was convenient,
Now you don't care at all.
It took me too long to realize,
You were my rise and fall.

And if I were you,
I would never trust my words.
I have lied to so many by
telling them I love them,
and it is never followed by
aching guilt.

These lines are the only
form of honesty I have left,
and I'm not sure I want
this part of me to change.

So when I'm standing in
the doorway,
and I tell you
I love you,
I hope you won't make
too much of it.
I promise I won't when
you whisper,
"I love you, too."

-k.w//false affirmations

i want our fingers
interlocked on
crowded sidewalks
and busy streets,
and i want us
to sip coffee
while we admire
strangers from
afar.
i want mid-afternoon
laughter, and
heartfelt conversations
late at night
when everything
seems a bit more
real.
i want to listen
to all your
favorite songs,
and share long
car rides with no
destination in mind.

i want all these things,
only you do not
want me.

-k.w//over