“Violets Aren’t Blue” by Ayana Foggy

Violets arenʼt Blue!
Her throat became so coarse
She couldnʼt swallow another pill
All she could do was cry, those tears deemed her unrecognizable
The disappointment she got, pained worse than sleep aids
42,
42 days she stayed up mourning your absence
42 hours she birthed the anxiety you breathed in her
42 embellishments danced in her being, planting themselves on her inner arm
She clawed at the idea of holding you in her arms
She danced with the thought of you being pure
Pure enough to gift her back the magic she laid in you
Pure enough to think of her virginity as more than a thin line to tread lightly
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 she lost count after that
Downing more and more as she began to crave the sight of her eyelids
33, 34, 35, 36 she knew she wasn’t healthy
She picked up what she knew to be her protection and execution all in one breath
40, 41, 42 trails of crimson gold, pouring to her heart
42 ways to stop the pain
42 reasons to hold on
42 times she wanted to have your seed implanted in the womb she once forbade to anyone
The womb she wanted to pride herself on for her man
42 pink and blue reminders that he canʼt change
Boy or girl?

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Ayana Foggy is a 21 year-old senior psychology major at Cedar Crest College. She is from Brooklyn, NY, which has helped shape her into the passionate person she is today.