Wednesday, April 20, 2011

the surface project (53)

What are you supposed to be doing right now?

dear sickness,
you are not my friend.
and even if you were,
i would not invite you to stay
for three weeks at a time
every. other. day
in the middle of what is supposed to be
track season.
go away sickness.
i hate you.

the surface project (63)

Do you believe there's good in everybody?

i don't want to talk to you about religion
because no matter what you say
you're right

i've got so much faith in the soul of mankind
that the grace of a god can get lost
in translation

don't lose sight of who you are, you know?
we're the last things we have to hold on to
by now

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

this paper's full of made-up soul

if i'm feeling for real
and i'm living it out
and i'm loving the way
that i'm living it out
who needs all the ways
that i'm living it out
on the paper
that's not even living?

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

twentytwenty

they say you learn from your mistakes
well it's no wonder i'm a genius.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

so desperately

i'd give my right arm
to pick up all the pieces
i'd give my right hand
to erase all the hurt
i'd give my own soul
to save yours
you know

but i can't hold your heart
with my best of intentions -
and the love flows in sobs
that could rip though my chest -
if i gave you my life
it's not even a good one -



and the weight of your world
crashes down on my shoulders.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

the surface project (27)

Do people ever call you by your last name?

ap bio called me emma gay.
sometimes they called other things emma gay, too.
it was an adjective.

sometimes ben calls me emma gay.
it's almost a name - almost a nickname.
except i think he knows the adjective part.

nacho calls me gay and that's all.
it's a name and not the adjective. it's funny.
but it's not my name. it's not me.


emma gay is an identity.
but who am i?





. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . kathryn nutting calls me emma
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .matthew calls me miss emma
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .connor calls me em

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . did you know that i love that?

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

new heights

"from your lips - a precipice
i hang from every word"