Picture me as a rocket
Soaring through the skies
As I wave to you all
And call out little goodbyes

Picture me as the planets
Whose touch you won't know
Though I'd trade them
To be with you on land below

Picture me as Mercury
The closest to the sun
I only know what heat feels like
From the summer with you, done

Picture me as Venus
My oceans all dried up
Where I used to wait for you
With lonely wine in my cup

Picture me as Mars
A last ditch at saving
When the Earth is gone
And people are still waving

Picture me as Jupiter
Whenever you breathe in
Then sing our little song
And flash your beautiful grin

Picture me as Saturn
When you see the rings
The ones on our fingers
And on our angel wings

Picture me as Uranus
Rolling on my side
To catch a better glimpse
Of the one that is ocean eyed

Picture me as Neptune
A bright blue colored orb
So far away from everything
No sunlight left to absorb

Picture me as Pluto
A forgotten little thing
Though I'm so small and cold
I'd rather just -- with you -- sing

Picture me as the moon
Shining down on you all
When I try to get to you
Without the terrifying fall

Picture me as a clock
Counting down the days
That I want to go faster
And I need that gaze

Picture me as your timer
You keep me near your head
I'm there with you in spirit
And we lay by your bed

Picture me as the stars
Whenever you are alone
I'm always watching you
From this golden sky throne

Picture me as a fireball
Made of ice and gas
A star falling downward
As you just watch me pass

Picture me as the sky
As I hold up the space above
And look down and see you all
In faith and hope and love

Picture me as the galaxy
Far away from you
But I'm full of constellations
Remember when we named a few

Picture me as space
Jumbled high and flying
Starry skies you see
From the moon's teary crying

But picture me as a rocket
That didn't mean to leave
So see me and the stars
Whenever you wish to grieve.

i fell in love with a boy
who was fragile
like paper

in a way we were paper
together
i was falling apart
he was
sensitive
and vulnerable

this boy wasn't much
he was plain
save for a few typewriter smears
under his saddened eyes
and paperclip wings
adorning his back

we painted on each other

i covered him with strokes
of happiness
distractions
and a sense of
something
he was a brush upon me
reminding me of who we were
and what it meant to
know

he started to fall for me
the girl who was blown over
by a breeze
the girl who
thought eating was a bother
the girl who loved a boy
who was nothing more
than an intangible
whisper

then there we were
holding each other up
when the wind came
and took our painted bodies
ripped his paperclip wings from his back
tore our paper selves into shreds

we were blown into the world
strewn and lost

and apart

under tires
that tread terrible teeth
into our tiny pieces

stamped us into cement
and stole us
from what was

and now here we are
in what is

i can't pick myself up
because i don't know where i am
who i am
and where the paper boy i loved
has gone

out here is a world
where fragile love
and caring hearts
cannot bond
without loss
without being forgotten

just like
the paper boy
who smiled when he saw me
and who painted me into meaning

who saw
something
who
knew
who was
there
but now is
here

is

gone

He comes by my house nearly every day
To court me, I’m sure, comes sandy-haired Mack
Again, I forget to ask if he’s gay…
At least I know tomorrow he’ll be back.

I am always the one to call him first
And sometimes he doesn’t even pick up
My parents think he and I are the worst
We cost much money and greet them with “’sup”

He’s only around for fleeting minutes
Leaving too quickly to suit my liking
For a few seconds in his car, he sits
I bet debating taking me hiking

I think I might love him, oh me, oh my
Beautiful pizza delivery guy

there are so many
letters
words
phrases
i want to write all over
my skin
so that maybe
just maybe
the bits of me
inside
might come outside
and show that i
in fact
am not a shell
not
just a body
with so much lost
and so little left
to lose

the thing is
we're all bodies
going through a day to day
like there's never anything wrong
like there's never been anything wrong
like there's never going to be anything wrong

but there's something wrong
with pretending
because it hides
the truth
from even yourself
you think you know everything
until it's early in the morning
late in the night
and you're screaming
crying
who am i
to no one
because no one is always there
and no one always listens
because no one cares

and we tattoo ourselves
with
letters
words
phrases
that mean something
so that when someone passes by
they just might see
who
instead of just a body
just a life
that can never be as complicated
as our own
because nothing is as good
as our own

our own
letters

our own
words

our own
phrases

that at least make us
some semblance
of own
some picture
of self
some symbol
of who

we are like nothing
until proven something
we are guilty as one of many
until innocent as individual

i want my name to adorn my forehead
so i can scream
i am here

i want your name on my lips
to whisper
i love you
like it's the one thing
you can always believe

i want alone pasted to my hands
as though
anyone can see
all the hands i've never held
and will never hold
and the holding i'll never get to do
by being
so
****
alone

i want a's grafted into my chest
because
once upon a time
i was told they define me
so if i ever
get ripped apart
they'll see
my worth
as a grade
90-100
a
a minus
a plus
a bit of self-worth
assurance i am worth it
approval of who

i want praise shaped into the thinning skin of my stretch marks
because
there should be
no reason
to give a ****
about the carefully placed
skin caterpillars
after all
as soon as they become butterflies
everybody loves
once more

i want feelings plastered on my legs
because i'd love for what
i hate
to be covered
in someone's love
even if only no one cares

i want to be covered
crown to toe
with visions of me
to make
self
and individual
out of
no one
the only one
who cares