9:27 pm

i wish i could erase these lines in my face

like a drop of ink in a swimming pool fading

away into nothing.

as temporary as time feels

my bones ache with the millions of seconds spent

walking, talking, learning

yearning for something, someone

to accept the various wrinkles on my skin

instead of covering it with red and yellow paint

and calling me a savage warrior.

please don’t be afraid or feel bad

i am not a helpless uncivilized barbarian

who uses pursed lips and eyebrow movements

as a way of speech.

i am just me.

why don’t you love me.

why doesn’t anyone love me.