By Misti Velvet Rainwater
Date: 26 August 2000
You Never Say Whoa
I was born tap dancing cussing screaming hating
bedtime and rules and fools who put people in boxes
and misspell the easy stick-on labels
Aesop's fables never worked with me
if there was a mistake to be made I wanted to own it
and wear it until it faded and fit like a second skin
sin was a juicy apple
something to sink
my teeth into
white shoes were for scuffing
and nothing was over my head out of reach
to teach me at all
was to let me fall...
you called me by my rightful name from the beginning
you knew my tune my flavor my talent for savoring
the true and spitting out the false without heeding
friendly advice and hysterical buzzing sirens
you let me dance dangerously close to the edge
you let me dredge up evil porcelain doll nightmares
you let me talk like I knew what the hell I was saying
you never edited
or interjected
you let me spinning grinning GO
and never
said whoa
I can rest my feet on your chest
and be the best six year old brat
I could never be before
you open up the candy store at midnight
you let me bite you
because you delight in my bark
and when I'm stark naked
you adore my wicked wanton Delilah sway
you never say stop
you never play cop
you never bring me down by comparing me to your exes
or the newest It girl in Vanity Fair
you don't dare me to do outrageous things
the rest of the world
loves Misti the seat warmer freak show performer
stormer of Sleepytown
you love Misti the silent the scared the sleepy
the shadowed
you love me when the moon is waning and I'm complaining
about cabin fever
you open up the windows
you take me out and treat me
to a surplus of stars
and when the demons collapse
after exercising to the oldies
you hold me so close
I send a prayer up to the God
I'm beginning to believe in
again.
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