By: Cailey Tarriane

She yearned to be desireless, but instead
The Girl with Wisdom wanted no riches, so
The Girl with Desires desired to destroy gold in her mind-
no more would she crave for its feeling on her bony fingers
and richness was for her to earn and for her to have slip away,
being as good as mute, for if she opened her mouth,
Nobody she would be, no words would escape, and no, she would not cry out.

She pushed a head under a bathtub of water with the force of her palms,
but it refused to stay still, for the head was her own, and she was
The Girl who Screamed In Pain and people listened, but no one heard
so she lifted her head and her heart, resuming to perform for people
who were Somebody who wished to be pleased.

Those around her were like a herd of elephants, but she wasn’t seen as
defenseless, for she was The Girl with Expensive High Heels, trampled over
even before they walked, her hair dripping wet and her heart heavy before
the elephants began spraying her with water, using their trunks, and
the question still stands, did The Girl with No Friends deserve better,
or was it better that she got what she deserved?

The Girl with Many Riches spent days on her knees,
not a foe or someone else would recognize the remains of who she was.
Those who paid attention to her beloved details despised
her because it was easier to, for she was The Girl who Earned
More Than She Deserved, as she did easy work, and the fact buried was
that she got no pay, starved for her skin and bones to define her,
and her art was to give appetite to those who fed on prey.

The Girl who Nobody Noticed was ignored, for adding to all the attention
she received in praise and validation wasn’t good for nobody, and
indeed, Nobody she was.

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Cailey Tarriane is an avid reader and has poetry published in scattered literary magazines. She has written over four novels, and she can be found frequently scribbling about her beloved pets.