I gather it in bundles tied with twine,
finding places to hide it out of sight
beneath the floors, under my skin.
my own frustrated limitations that
glare me bloody as I bury them away.

but I let the hatred plink off my skin,
pebbles against steel plate and chain mail.
one day, I’ll gather it all up, enough to
fill every suitcase, every bag, every pair of arms.
Then I’ll take it out somewhere you can all see it.

a pile of shadows at the edge of the highway,
a bank vault turned inside out, useless bills
flooding the sky. a disgusting mound of meat
that knows only to bleed and ooze and die.
my self sitting out for all to see.

and I’ll burn it. A single match will be enough,
to ignite my choked self, to transform shame into
wildfires, mushroom clouds, and change.
its flames will scrape the stratosphere with
clawed heat, and you’ll know I was beautiful.