i have been responsible for my own smiles
for years, how should i
pass off that burden to you now?
no matter the intention, no matter the ability,
self-ownership and self-love
are learned at a high cost, cannot be unlearned.
what you offer
is a boon to a struggling spirit,
a blessing to someone willing to give up or give in.
but me, i replaced my spine with iron years ago,
blood for magma, skin for shell,
and there is nothing i can give up now
that would not wreck the whole body of me.