A guy made fun of my heart today
he called it an apple.
i don’t understand this
human compulsion towards
cruelty
would i ever make fun
of a tattoo i didn’t know,
waiting for food
in the bagel shop? no.
i am never mean to
strangers. i save it
for people i know,
the deserving.
you i would not hit
or punch or smack
but i would like to watch
someone else do it
not a stranger but a girl,
someone like me someone
who really deserves
to kick you in the stomach.
someone with really good boots.
connecting with the soft rolls
of your belly. oomph.
ever get the wind knocked
from your lungs? it’s scary.
i would like to see you
on the sidewalk like that,
a fish out of water
but I won’t do it.
if you were brave enough
to stand in my face
with your stupid advice
i would gently remind you
that we are not friends.
you live at the very bottom
of the sea
a dark and cloudy place
with absolutely no light,
just big sluggish ocean things,
probably slimy,
that sit forever in the sand,
no day and no night
so why do you think
you are qualified
to discuss this girl who is actually a lion
or a mountain,
something big out of nature
something with excellent
presence.
i’m not an idiot, you know
i can, like, pick my friends
and nothing’s going
to work me over
like you and your salty barnacled hands
miss pearly lip soft eye
the face that once looked angelic
now strikes me as mildly retarded.
goodbye.
back to the girl
with the excellent presence.
i’m trying to appreciate nature
but all i get are
peach lillies
in a vase
at the bagel store.
can i write a powerful essay
on the transcendental nature
of nature
leaning on the glass counter
waiting for my onion with
dill cucumber to arrive
and those things
on the pavement,
you call that a tree?
-Michelle Tea, Submitted by: Caroline Smith
