they ask me how I am
I say, the same
so it goes down in my notes
but what I mean is
that my hair is in tangles on my head
my body odor fills my nostrils
and my face is yellow ash
I only brush my teeth
when I get the next sore tooth
how do you think I am
when I can't even see the light
in my own eyes
or the truth that's supposedly
behind my smile
that is really just 2 lips curving upwards
to put others at ease
how do you think I am
when the one thing that's palpable
is the rampage of toxic shame
inside my head
the same
it is.
it is.
it is.