On Weathering

Inside me / The mini-monster is / Eating at the edges / Of my heart again / Don’t feed it my
friend warns me / But my heart is just there / How can I stop the monster’s / Small mouth from
opening / When it wants so much and I / Want to be needed / It’s / The / Anxiety of April / The /
Anxiety of / Being human / I’m walking through the world like / I have / A plastic Tupperware
of Cheez-its / In my Miu Miu bag / Wondering what’s with / Sisters / Thinking / With my
terrible memory I should / Write more things down / Thinking / What work is done so / That
work is done / Hostage / To our breadmaking I try / All the sleep masks to see which / Block out
the most light / Track my money / Until it turns / Into a / Firefly each / Dollar I don’t have /
Lighting my room / Like a film screen nightmare / These days critique / Can’t be subtle even
though / So I have that / Human anxiety / Where I worry / About what people think / It must be
okay / For women like me / To feel all this rage / I don’t care / I don’t care / I don’t care / About
exclusion / Because / We build / Our bodies against / The day-to-day / If what we say / Isn’t
enough / Here’s the data / Is it ever / Enough / I look at / Every / Real / Estate / Listing as if / I
could have / These other / Lives / Who am I / There is / No one / Who can prepare you / For how
your body / Will change

Copyright © 2024 by Angela Veronica Wong. Used with the permission of the author.