crops

crops

drugs are crazy expensive
the razor is always cheap, always clean
one precise slit one evening
no more
parallel, next to the others
lined up like daddy’s crops

walking alone
through the fields
far away from
los angeles, new york, chicago
where people blossom
be themselves
be someone else
be whatever

set a sin in the ground
or better, set love in the ground
let it sit, germinate
and let it spoil

mark yourself
and mark yourself again
tattoos and scars
everyone knows someone who cuts

you can shed your city
but the marks remain
the marks remain
a permanent stain

This poem was first published in Peeking Cat Anthology 2017.