i cut my teeth
on the boardwalk
where a girl and her mother
walked in long dresses.
the way the linen flowed
from their shoulders
to their calves
reminded me why i breathe.
i broke a bottle
in a back alley
in the right neighborhood
on the wrong side of town.
i wrote a letter
never meant to be read
by some damned harlot
with unforgiving eyes.
i took the pill
without looking back
except to see
who was following.
i cut my teeth
on the corner of dodge
and south alice
so i would remember to breathe.
i often worry what people will say
I’ve been worrying less often
its better off that way.
i walk on the tips of my toes
why i do such things
no one really knows.
i once caught eyes with a beautiful girl
she said to me, “hello”
i said to her, “farewell”.
i crack my hands bone by bone
strangers always stare at me
yet it lets me feel at home.
i string my words into clever phrases
i never show a single soul
and i do not wish their praises.
a stranger smiled at me yesterday
her eyes so full of hope, she left
its better off that way.
