he tells me: you do not need to
feel so strongly about everything.
i say: yes. yes i do
because i do not know any other way
to feel.
what i have inside me,
that's all i know.
that's all i have.
don't let me hate it.
don't take this away
from me.
"three years later, a new girl sits cross-legged on your bed.
she tastes like a different flavor of bubblegum than you are used to.
she opens up your drawer and a folded picture of us falls out.
you say: i dated her a while back.
what you don't say: her scent still lingers around.
you say: she was beautiful.
what you don't say: she warmed the winters in my bones.
you say: it's nothing now. we've moved on.
what you don't say: but it was everything back then."
