you told me you loved me,
made me pinky swears,
flour-covered promises,
then disappeared—
erasing your existence
becoming a ghost

— you promised you would never leave, jokes on me then // a.

put me in a movie so
my end can be happy,
make me your doll,
pinch and pluck and paint
my body until you make it
a masterpiece of shatter pieces
put me in a movie so no one
can see me cry and break and collapse
put me in a movie so my fears can be softened and my edges dulled
put me in a movie and
make me beautiful and worthy
put me in a movie so
I may become romanticized and immortal—
remembered by all and loved
for girls like me meet our ends in
unromantic ways

— put me in a movie so I can play pretend a little bit more // a.

you whisper sweet
promises in my my ear
that ring false
but you do not realize
I am not settling for
sweet promises
I take what I want
and you cannot stop me

— sweet promises will get you nowhere with me  don’t forget that // a.

I walk the halls
and marvel at the traces
the ghosts left behind;
their faint laughter
and passionate
love affairs in the dark

their dancing and music
their finery and cries
their pain as end of an era
comes closer each passing day

I wonder how it must be,
a ghost in the world,
stuck within your time

— ghosts of versailles, stuck in your time of parties and fun // a.