Unapologetic

I am here.
Unashamed of my crystalline skin –
So thin
that one can hear
the howl of blood
coursing through my veins.

I am here –
Uncovered and exposed
You can build a castle from my angst
Weave a basket out of the lines from my tightened fists
Hang a tree swing from my illusions –
can you reach the branches?
Chuckle behind the back of my crippling grit
Curate a gallery of my misprints
and adorn the walls
for your amusement…

Yet I remain here –
Skin, gossamer as ever,
Each tiny vessel strangling a hill,
Stumbled upon, yet surmounted.
I will continue to stick out,
Tall,
Perched atop the summit
of your own
trembling.

[Published originally in 2011.]