beneath this blissful bud
and the tattered wires i retrace
attempting to connect them all
to reignite a spark i once lost
underneath the weak confidence i try on
that fits like a loose and wrinkly dress
nether the bright and blossoming words
i paint on myself
with hopes they one day form themselves
into strict, rigid beliefs
a self love that is not
weak, wavering, inconsistent
not a faulty costume, but a tattoo of the brain
washed clean of every malicious label
stuck like thorns upon my side
amidst the lie that i can withstand my reflection
comes a hidden strength
that i tolerate the strongest form of hatred
my mind can produce
the form whose prey is me
and only myself
