I have seen us
crouched in corners,
razors to our wrists,
controlling what is ours,
because saying no one understands
is easier than admitting we
never let them try.
I have seen us
in the locker rooms,
sharpies in hand
Because if we werent the writers
we were the written,
and its funny when we arent reading
our own names.
I have seen us
in our bedrooms,
black eyes and broken glass,
and lying photographs,
because tonight we were too tired,
too broken to fight back.
I have seen us
packing our bags,
full of t-shirts, a sweater,
and a pair of jeans,
because pain was a price
we couldnt afford to pay.
I have seen us
in our rooms,
foils and lighters in hand,
straw in our lips and noses,
chasing black dragons,
snorting withe cobras,
because 100 dollars was cheap
for a double hit of joy.
I have seen us
hunched over toilet bowls,
flushing our self esteem,
because Vogue and Cosmo always
dressed beauty in a size negative
and that was only
a heave ho and an up chuck away.
I have seen us
On the corner,
Complacent-numb,
Selling our souls in dime bags,
Because we didnt know
The Grim Reaper wore
K-swiss and a hoodie.
I have seen us
Swigging golden poison,
Because we were taught
That our pain couldnt find us
In a 40 oz bottle.
I have seen us
Spread our legs
Like the horizon,
Because someone tricked us
Into believing that love
Could only be found on our backs.
I have seen us
I am not a coward.
I see us for what we are
We are nothing less than great.
We are the poets.
The derelicts cats who
Prance on fine lines
Of chance.
Our words
Rip open the sky,
Confuse the wind,
And dismiss it.
We tapdance on the
shoulders of waves.
We walk and talk
Mountains,
Breathe hurricanes,
Hum earthquakes.
And,
Our kisses are haikus
Glistening on crimson
Pages.
We are nothing less
than divine.
Actions have walls, but
With our words
We are limitless beyond
Articulation.
They are waiting,
Holding their breath
Waiting for us
To speak our thunder
To claim our mountaintops
To siphon the sun into
Our pens
And illuminate the pages.
Because time is a
Small price to pay
For hope.
