I sit down on the pearl seat with my pants at my ankles
This situation that is joked about much more than it is taught
I use the scratchy paper that only has a single layer
To wipe away the mess of blood
Blood that can't be romanticized into a special combination of words so it fits into a poem like this one
A situation that is joked about much more than it is taught
I pull out a crunchy wrapper with purple colors that are the exact opposite of my emotions
I rip open the wrapper with a sickening "FLIPT"
And I use the soft cotton cylinder to block the endless blood
This situation that is joked about much more than it is taught
Of course, before I can pull my pants back up to my waist
I have to inhale the terrifying scent of iron and armpits
Things that can't be romanticized in a special combination of words to fit into a poem like this one
A situation that is joked about much more than it is taught
I walk stiff and rigid
Hoping no one can see my discomfort
Hoping no one can smell what I smell
Hoping no one will make jokes
But they do
I want something
She's on her period
I ask nicely
PMS
I cry in the bathroom
She's bleeding a bit
I cry
She's too emotional
My emotions don't match that pearl toilet
Or that purple wrapper
Or that scratchy white toilet paper
Or even the cottony tampon
My emotions match blood
Red, violent, painful,
Blood
My anger, sadness, emotionlessness
My pain
My tears
My simple questions that are changed into an insult
My period is not a joke
But,
It is a situation that is joked about more than it is taught
Teach young girls
Teach young boys
Teach them about what they will experience
And how they should treat periods with respect
Treat people with respect
Teach them how the world turns
Teach them that this is a situations that will be joked about
Teach them
Teach them everything
Give them an opportunity to live happily
Even if the only thing their emotions match
Is their period.
Period story *
~MMM.~
