Like Sonata Poem by Onyi Ogwumike

Like the ugly step sister crying in a corner.

Like am I ever gonna let myself stop kneading this thick ball of clay that dyes my fingertips a rosemary hue.

Like my throat burns, like hopes and false dreams slipping like sand through my fingertips ablaze.

Like I lunge at your idea, and cringe at your truth.

Like red-stained tulips, like exotic blood gargling on your vocal cords.

Like the wings of frost that flap, and slap waves of cold into a black velvet puddle of self-pity.

Like I look at this and I know I am who I am thou shall not be remade.
Like I am who I am and I know my last name.

Like the X stands for xplain your logic in this situation, because I can’t see that shroud of ignorant clouds. That hangs all around you like thick shrubbery.

Like the depth of your magic wand is only skin deep and the golden hue of my soul can’t lighten my skin.

Like the cracks in my throat, flap in the wind as I inhale your only sole gift to me. An air of invisibility, like I am not the living creature my pulse suggests.

Like I wish my nighttime delusions weren’t and the peanut butter sandwich didn’t get stuck on one of those flaps.

Like it’s stuck making companionship with an empty sigh, un-cried tears, and broken wishing breaths.