my dad says i got his work
ethic
that i have his intimidation and ambition
he handed me a leather journal, told me to never
stop creating, that my tattoos are part of who
i am
he calls me
to ask what i think about planets and psychology
and what it's like to feel everything at once
he's never known someone who can
see the future until he got to know me
my aunt says i'm too intelligent for the
mundane, there's no challenge for someone
who thrives on learning
in making coffee
and lying to strangers
she told me to make a living off of a camera lens
to take the moments that i am made of
and hang them on my walls
she says i am capable of more love than is
ordinary
my mom says that i have a gift for finding the right book for every situation
i can look into someone's eyes and see a paperbound novel instead of a soul
she keeps a folder of my poetry on her laptop and it reminds me that even though i
feel
like i've lost everything
i can still bleed
a car ride is never silent with someone
who values your thoughts
my grandpa says I was her world
when our neighbors pulled into the driveway
after the ambulance had taken her away
and they came to me, telling me how close we were
it was harder to recognize that I was something to someone
than the fact that she was gone
—— and you,
you have said nothing
not a single word
