It’s budded
and blooms
at the most
unfortunate time.
And when people
look at you,
they think of church
breaking your soul
and society tangling
its fingers in your hair
and men kissing at your mouth
and women scouring you off.
But you, little bud,
aren’t evil. It’s just
an evil thing that’s
birthed, stretching your gut,
and we all have those things
that threaten to break through
and swallow
what we
are.
