you deserve

someone

who makes

you feel

like the

otherworldly

creature

you are.

- yourself.

i’m not scared
of the monsters
hidden underneath
my bed.
i’m much more scared
of the boys
with messy brown hair,
sleepy eyes,
& mouths
that only know
how to form
half-truths.

some
fathers
will
c r a c k
their
daughter’s
teeth
with skinned
knuckles
&
when
her lover’s
fist
comes
for her
she will
offer him
an open-lipped
smile.
“it’s just like home,”
she’ll say.