7.22.2014
I don’t believe in the beauty industry
because it doesn’t believe in me.
I didn’t need your TED Talk on material
possessions to know the value of things
in life. When used in a hashtag,
puncture wound is one word.
On the radio, the news cut
from a story on water shut-offs in Detroit
to a story on Emmy nominations. I don’t know
how anyone can still be sane.
It is often too much to expect the ones
you love to love you back. This week my goal
is to unsubscribe from everything.
I was like this long before my bike was ever stolen.
7.10.2014
Science tells us all the things we already know.
For instance, people say they will do things for you
& then they don’t do them. This is why I hate my birthday.
I have to be tough to shelter myself from my weaknesses.
The things that keep me up at night belong to me &
you will never know them. The darkness a safe space
to curl into. My time does not belong to me.
I accept this & go.
7.7.2014
Our first date was a death metal show.
There was a band from France that melted
my face. After sound check, the band
blacked out their eyes. I turned down
the cocaine that was offered. I don’t remember
what public school tried to tell me about Satan
in the 1980s. I do know the person you fuck
is frequently the person who happens to be there
at the end of the night. Don’t tell me
I need to lighten up & let it go. I don’t
remember having fallen asleep.
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Gina Myers is the author of two full-length poetry collections, A Model Year (Coconut Books, 2009) and Hold It Down (Coconut Books, 2013), as well as several chapbooks. Originally from Saginaw, MI, she lives in Philadelphia where she edits Lame House Press, serves as senior editor for Coconut Magazine, and works in media communications.