maelynslavik

Do the penguins care

about the one with orange beaks, an extra stripe? 

Do the giraffes mind 

that his neck is longer, that she has less spots? 

Because the humans do, 

There's a party in the penthouse

where people come and go

admission is free and based on nothing

and if you go once, you'll never truly leave.

It's not hard to get in, but you won't be invited

They won’t teach me how to be a woman— 
But they’ll notice when I’m not. 
Say I should smile more, try harder, 
Be brighter, quieter, 
Less me, more what they forgot. 

sing to me.

i've been a stranger once more

to your hills and valleys, to the

gaps of sunlight between your grasping evergreens.

i've been a stranger

to the red barn

The party ended ten minutes ago

But you are still here, watching me watch you

The party ended ten minutes ago