Nova

Cherry lip glossed magazines

Flung against blonde hair stained ultraviolet

I don’t know what more she wants from me

Eyes wide like stars

Supernovas begging to burn out

One day, I’ll conquer the galaxy and take you with me

Andromeda and Artemis

Poseidon isn’t the hero this time

She whispers against my fluttering heart

The only part of me susceptible to her deceit

Loosened ties and wrinkled blouses

We’re too in love to care

Too wrong to think straight

We are sixteen and balanced on the verge

Of nothing and everything

Of sitting by and letting the world chase us down

Or running at it head on fearlessly

And we choose neither

Because we think we’ve still got time

She says, "do you love me?"

I lie because it's all I know how to do

Her cranberry acrylic nails carve scripture into my palm

And I tell myself it means something to be worthy of even being touched by her

Shadows and make-believe

We thought we outgrew those in childhood

Empty smiles, hard, unmoving, unflinching

She never says she loves me, only asks if I return the sentiment

And it never occurs to me that this is strange until long after she is gone in a whirlwind of faceless men and playing pretend

Youthful romantism

We’re sixteen and beautiful

Cruel and indifferent

Naïve and innocent, just a façade though

Immature and carelessly

Dancing over gravestones of lost loves that came before

Nothing can stop us

Nothing will change us

She was looking for someone to love her

And all she found was me