not all that glistens is gold

it dawns on me as i feel my stomach fold

this story was written before it began 

it will repeat as long as it can

“i know you’ve been hurt”

you mentioned this while hurting me

but did you know i’ve been healed?

i took photos of people i thought i would always know

i laughed at stupid jokes i pretended to hate

i etched voices into my mind tha...

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i wait for you to be better

softer, like i know you can be

kindness slips through the cracks

but right when i see,

you stuff it back in like it was a dream

you wait for me to be worse

slip up, even the playing field you cursed

but i never sharpen my words

even when it’s deserved

in a few months, or years

when the last straw breaks my heart

i’ll break the sound barr...

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do you believe me now?

by Lily Starling Eldridge

party lights flicker as my vision dims

words drop like acid on my skin

sinking in, i start to feel sick

the shame you spilled always sticks.

i’m happy you’ve never been burned before.

introduce me to a stranger

tell an “inside” joke that left me exposed

then wonder why i left without a word

i’d rather be the one hu...

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i want to work on myself

what kind of work do i need?

am i a car stranded in the middle of nowhere,

waiting until the mechanic comes, only to pass me by

am i an equation, frows burrowed in deep thought

an excuse for the mathematician to silently slip away

am i a philosophical question, everyone has a different opinion

that they will rarely ever voice, for when they do it echoe...

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do you see your reflection in a golden frame

untouched by the rust of the storm you created?

can you see it gathering dust as you avoid blame?

too scared to get your fingers dirty, you let your outline fade

unknown where the background ends and humanity enters

i can no longer recognize your face and its features

am i squinting hard enough for you?

do i need a microscope to not...

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memories light my heart to start again

warmth in my veins like medicine

i open the door, gaze at my collection

candles in every crevice and corner

my house is overrun with light

but i am warm

so i let it burn

candles on my nightstand flicker

as i dream of fire consuming me

and awake to see the light i kept too close

fell during slumber, catching every other glow

i...

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which will break?

first my soul, then my voice

i wait outside the door and hear laughter

the good kind, this time

for a second, i see my reflection

in all of them standing together

until i remind myself not to be too hopeful

i meet all of them, wishing to be in their frames

but there’s been a change of plans, they say

CRAACK.

first my soul, then my voice

it’s just...

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roses are red, like a kiss, a stamp, a heart that has bled

or white, like doves, a dress, a jewel shining in the light

you, my friends, are yellow

not like dirty snow or old stains in carpet;

yellow like the sun that blinds us on our walk,

stars we gaze at from different windows until we look away,

keys that unlock us with every little talk

i picked the freshest flowers for my...

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“butterflies can’t see their own wings”

my wings were unique, folded and geometric

i felt proud, never hid them like a secret

i was called brave

              ↳”i’d want to die if i were you”

i pulled my antennas over my eyes

i naively accepted compliments at face value (i belonged)

when it came time to fly, i could only flutter

that’s all my wings could do (i was okay with...

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