I Knew I was a Poet When
Free verse
Published in
Oct 10, 2024
I knew I was a poet when
I wrote without punctuation or pause
Carved out my vermillion heart
Bled out words I never imagined I’d say out loud
Pricked my finger one too many times
Drank poison ivy out of bone china cups
Exposed the scars hidden beneath my sweaters
Counted the number of minutes it took to fall in love
Played chess with myself and lost
Wrote love letters in invisible ink
Lived on the cusp of what was and what will be
And realized my body is 70% water and 100% grief
For all the things
I’ll never
Get to
Be.
