here
i've slowly gathered sinew in my hands
knotted tendons
around my tongue
wrists
ankles
shackles fashioned like the shapes passing by
the only window in sight
they cast Plato's shadows aside
to salute my trembling eyes
(ohsaycanyousee
thisboyrottenspoiled
don'twavemyflag
don'trespectme)

from my window
the world is a fist
and god sounds like a knife
sliced off my eyelids
and sold em
cause some people need
twice the number of blinks
to turn their tellyvisions
from shit to rose
(butmeiwasbornintheusa
colorcolorblind
andalliseeis
blackwhiteandgray)

but tied myself i did
they told me i've got it like Achilles
and i dared the world to cut me
just like a real man should
rope made of me
and the privilege
of tying myself
tongue
wrists
ankles
to the floor
but left my eyes permanent
to see the world
shoot Abraham in the head
(andladylibertyknows
ican'tcryoutinshame
takeoffhismask
runforhelp)

shit
worst of all
is the corner of my eye
where love covers her head
and floats facedown on the sea

07/23/2007

Author's Note: ah, youth.

Posted on 07/24/2007
Copyright © 2026 Peter Hsu