i inject poetry into my veins

i listen to mother’s long lectures about days in old Ukraine

i watch her photograph smiling faces

lavallette sunsets and the playground

i listen attentively to lana del rey

as if i had to annotate 

scrolling through the lyrics, imagery flurries like a swirling snowstorm

maybe because it’s late july i can’t replicate those lines

but in the sun, i try my best

i inject art into my veins

i flew to prague in springtime

mucha museum and ancient schuuls

i can still taste chimney cake cinnamon

at museums i always take time to unplug 

and cross the polished floor,

noticing lines that go unnoticed 

complimenting writers on their blurbs

like diamonds under each picture

i try to appreciate little things 

i injected drugs into my veins 

at 7 i was an addict

harry potter was my first shot, then

riordan on the way to dance and

dashner at 1 am

my world was YA fiction 

katniss everdeen, points to gryffindor 

i pinched myself over times tables,

vowed to build cities on paper instead.

going on 16 i curse Pythagoras 

but believe in myself less

what inspires me?

not these old bedsheets i sleep on

to avoid the mess of my room

what brings inspiration so i can write

bars like kendrick lamar

sonnets like shakespeare?

i wake up on pinterest, check notes app for guidance 

first line reads, what are you afraid of?

i disappear into blankets, mascara smeared pillows

go brainless til 2:00 

i rise, brush my teeth

and the mirror reflects nothing

who am i if i’m not creating?

(not here) 

steady driving down point pleasant streets 

red lights blink, lana’s new album on carplay 

mom’s checking the blind spot for brooklyn drivers

(you know how they are this time of year)

i inject the moment into my veins

put the phone down, i sink into my seat 

melody pulses through my veins 

the way she sings “when’s it gonna be my turn”

makes me feel hollow and recall a strong emotion 

that i can’t quite place

after careful autumn and dead winter

twiddling spring, i can call across 

all the beach towns in new jersey

unabashed i throw my hands into the wind 

why did it take so long to comprehend

this moment is my contribution