the sun & weather & me

the sun is high and warm
on my skin and the weather
curls my hair but it’s
big & poofy & it’s all ok
for awhile
because i
wanted this
wanted this
wanted this so badly
that i saw in
shades of
glitter & pink & blue
but
then the light
shifts—

and the glitter turns
to
dust and
the hues of blue
and pink are
muddy
and stained
by the blur
of
my tears
and now my hair is
frizzy & huge & i’m not ok
because i
feel stuck
feel stuck
feel trapped under this smog
and the sun beats
down on me
and the weather
licks at
my sweat while
i struggle
to
breathe

Written for Master of Arts in Professional Creative Nonfiction Writing at the University of Denver; May ’21