Popcorn

I wish I was bigger.

I wish I had a little bit more muscle.

I wish there was more between my skin and my bones,

That my ribs wouldn’t show when I take off my shirt,

That I wasn’t made of tissue paper.
 

Dear Mother, 

I have missed you these past few months. 

Where did you go? 

I see you standing there, torch held high, yet you do not answer my calls. 

What does it take to see the dandelions blooming in the spring, yellow manes bobbing in the wind?

What does it take to see the sun slanting through the windows, to hear the tree frog's chorus in the night?

the air tastes like honey and promise 

sticky with the scent of blooming jasmine 

and freshly cut grass that crunches beneath bare feet 

the sky drips blue 

stretching wider every afternoon 

I was once a girl in love with a flower, 

delicate and soft. 

So I picked this flower and brought it home, 

deciding it was better off with me. 

If only I knew calamity would follow 

Wishing I could,

stuck with I can’t

because of nerves

that refuse to say goodbye.

Heart is obsessed,

mind is stressed,

with my heart

yelling at my mind,

and my mind