Rhyme Your Why

Emily (U.S.A.)

[research poem]

Politeness

Hidden from sight, dredged through the mud in her veins where I linger
I find solace in being a wallflower, tucked in her pockets like arthritic fingers

Never speak out of line, out of turn, or without grace
I plaster myself, smearing that pretty face

Her body shudders with disdain
All because of the torment she will gain

I creep around in the tendrils of her arteries
Forcing her to announce my existence at parties

Hollow smiles and nods, gnawing at her neck
She screams inside while others cut a check

Profuse gratitude cloaked in anxiety
Little do they know she’s of no piety

Death marches on, and I know it so well
We grew up together, born in this shell

Sweat beads from her brow
While I force her to bow

She whimpers and heaves
Never expressing her needs

The frustration inside her grows and crests
Baby birds flightless fall from their nests

Her devastating cries fall silent from sound
As she realizes she’ll forever be crowned

Never a break, always so fake
Whispered prayers landed like dew and fowl on a lake

Resentment from birth hiding in the beige
Frown lines dig more deeply than the signs of age

Evermore, I persist in creating the cyst
My once and final bow, to which she swears her vow

Inescapable exhaustion births inside
All because I love my pride

I chain and bind her cheekbones with twine
I force them upward while she goes blind

Sightless and demure, she exits like foam, riding the tide
Outside her comfort zone, her once-trusted guide