i am scared of God because earth is hell & i’ve buried myself in both. i am scared of books because to be forgotten is the sin of time. i am scared of the scarlet dawn because my clock is purple & my alarm bells are silver. i am scared of boys because denial is a river watered with girls’ tears. i am scared of girls because beauty tempts destruction. i am scared of thirst because it reminds me i still yearn, am still worthy of desire. i am scared of truth because it cuts me right open. i am scared of force because its dust is a new ton to bear. i am scared of yoga & seafood because my body has been shucked enough. i am scared of the sun because my skin burns faster in its wake than Adam’s rib & eyes could be chucked. i am scared of light because it drowns in a room as crisp as my best friend’s cries. i am scared of darkness because between my hands & i, they are the enemy. i am scared of my pores & how they are meant to be the tiniest parts of me. i am scared of becoming a cliche, a mirage of metaphors with no truth left to savor. i hate poetry because it reminds me i’m scared. there is nothing i’m not scared of, no string left unfrayed.