getting arrested at fourteen
was not my best look
the girl with brass knuckles
didn't have my best interest in heart
she wanted me oblivion
while I was determined
not to be punched in the face
our opinions differed
but my motive was always clear
defend yourself
you are all you have
and just for the record
had I known at the time
I was fighting about a boy
things may have gone differently
but in the bathroom
handling the things
you handle in a bathroom
but when
some girl with anger
a color never seen
behind her eyes
rushes you in a bathroom stall
all sudden like
you channel your inner ninja
you balance beam toilet seats
make your hands an anchor
run aground in hair
navigate the cannon blast away
always away
and when you find yourself moored
upon the shoulders of a girl
who wanted to sail her knuckles
covered in shiny
into your face
you find comfort in the waves
lashing your back
be it ocean
or commode
and when the officer demands
you let her up
you launch yourself
into his arms
while the porcelain mermaid girl
declares the scattered rings of brass are yours
between sputters
you might find yourself arrested
mother worried
Atlanta children missing
murdered
your bed empty
while feet pace floors
you could find yourself
in seventy two hours
facing the only person
you ever shared a body with
holding a one way ticket in her hand
a suitcase holding what's left of you
stowed in a trunk
you may find yourself riding a dog
back to the one man
you could never respect
getting arrested
at fourteen
changes everything
forever
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