The Inescapable
Words by Drew Haller / Illustration by Alexa Robinson
You have kissed so many boys
You have kissed so many girls
& it has not worked out.
You have kissed so many boys
You have kissed so many girls
& stretched yourself inside out.
Why do you still look for love inside of lust?
Why do you still tell yourself, ‘I must’?
‘I must be desired.
I must be perfect.
I must be admired.
I must prove that I’m worth it.
Otherwise, I forfeit.’
Little girl,
So young and so naive
Still so mystified by the trees.
Your spirit wonders with the breeze
& your knees shake at the sight of the seven seas.
How many times will you flee?
Searching desperately for an answer that might please
Your wretched absolutes
Your wicked self pursuits
Your degrading doubt
& your righteous self-denial
Your raging internal disputes
& your hedonic Friday night defile.
Did nobody tell you that pain and bliss are only temporary?
That friendship is far more heavenly
Than dark whiskey and cheap wine
At least ten times more divine
Than conquests of the flesh
And spiritual distress?
You have kissed so many boys
You have kissed so many girls
& it has not worked out.
You have kissed so many boys
You have kissed so many girls
& stretched yourself inside out.
Why do you still look for love inside of lust?
Why do you still tell yourself, ‘I must’?
‘I must be desired.
I must be perfect.
I must be admired.
I must prove that I’m worth it.
Otherwise, I forfeit.’
Your refusal to rest
Is but a cry for help at best.
You anticipate your own failures with smug jest.
You negate your victories with emotional neglect
You project disasters that have not even arrived yet.
But never worry, sweet child.
Never stress.
Never negate.
Never project.
Never discourage.
Never deflect.
How many times will you flee?
Are you scared of yourself?
Are you scared of me?
Aren’t you tired of comparison & jealousy?
Aren’t you fed up with being lonely?
Aren’t you done fore with regret?
Did nobody tell you
That the best has not come yet?
Originally published at https://medium.com on June 1, 2022.
