my life is a jagged mess,
a collection of scattered thoughts,
fading memories,
unanswered questions,
blurring together
into something that even i
cannot properly explain
i see a thousand faces,
but i cannot pair a single one
with the thousand tongues
that i feel on the inside of my mouth,
and i cannot pair a single one
with the thousand fingerprints
that blend into my skin
i cannot assign a single name
to a single person,
among the sea of identities
that swim in the peripheral vision
that has become my past;
they are all drowning in the greedy current
of diminishing nostalgia
sweaty palms
ragged breathing
shallow touches
panting whispers
awkward movements
guilty sighs
careless actions
i feel them all
pressing into me,
from somewhere,
anywhere
and yet,
from nowhere,
nowhere at all
i remember the first time
i told my mother
that i was attracted to a girl,
a girl who had long hair
and breasts
and curled lashes
and plump lips
and my mother just stared at me,
dumbfounded,
then she began to laugh
and she told me,
with an air of authority,
that i had to be
joking
but i frowned,
feeling the weight of her disbelief
suffocating me
because even my own mother
could not stand the fact
that her daughter
was infatuated with another woman
YOU ARE READING
broken bikes
Poetrypoetry is a vice. ➳ 2014 watty awards winner for poetry ➳ gorgeous cover by @mountainy