i sit

in a darkening room

candles extinguishing

sad.

internally

i quake

with a childlike

fear of the dark.

neither fight

unfeminine, besides the whole nonviolence thing

nor flight

i am where i am called to be

offers comfort

and i feel fury and fear again.

i wish i could be different than i am

or that you

could be different than you are

i do love you, you know

that actually makes the fact that i don’t like you much

harder

Talitha Fraser