pluck the truths then
sky-blue petals that flutter to barren ground
somewhere i learned
to hate my anxieties
to be ashamed
let them sit caught underfoot
slide into pavement cracks
where black ants will pull at them
tearing pieces to carry home
and share with their young
somewhere i learned
that my words were never good enough
and for all my yelling
i never unlearned
whole generations raised
on the truths of me and you.
