for the girl teaching herself how to fly

the first thing you need
to know about people is this:

your heart is full of open windows
without latches, and rose walls
covered in t h o r n s-

for only tiny pin-pricks go unnoticed
until waves wash over you
but a mermaid has no tears
and therefore suffers so much more
for fun is few and far between
moments of forced silence and quiet words:

speak:
let no one bring you flowers
but those you can watch bloom-
and don't stop until someone says
that girl is a goddamn p r o b l e m
for wolves and girls both have sharp teeth
and know how to use them to their advantage.