i. diet coke

i sip diet soda,

all those zeroes…

they've told me what's not

in it,

but

what is?

maybe

i'm like a can of coke,

silver for second best &

not quite sure what i'm made of.

ii. unavailable

i crave beautyiful friendship & love,

soothing voices filling empty spaces

on the telephone and

to be the

one

that's frustratingly

unavailable.

iii. denim, in all its forms.

old creased jeans, frayed at the cuffs-

they're tattered & ripped & all loose

ends, no, no, no, don't say "like me"

-even though it's true-

i'm hiding from the truth.

iv. prisonerncess

in a black dress that hugged my body

and shoes that bit at my feet (vinyl teeth

that left angry red blisters)

I felt like a prisoner-

And they said, "you're a princess tonight."