Social stains

I

Like cigarettes cause cancer

and burn your lungs, we disintegrate

when presented with our favorite vice.

A cancer and a plea for life combined.

II

My stains have coated

hospital gowns. It’s funny how much

your place in people’s minds

matters so much.

III

A facial tic that

made her powerful.

Something she couldn’t

control

A butterfly escaping

the cage.

IV

The people in

psychiatric wards

haven’t given up

they’ve

talked to ghosts

heard voices

been beaten

down by expectations

V

our past is

a canvas

splattered with

stains

a work of art

we never asked

to be displayed