so this is what you get when you wash me down

scrub me with scalding water until my skin is raw

lather and rinse and repeat

wash the layers of armor away

we watch as they swirl down the drain

like the evidence of a crime scene

 

i am the yellow you tried to conceal

with mountains of porcelain powder

the strong you tried to bury with

the bodies that rot under ground

 

i am the hurricane you couldn't hold back

the river that broke your dam

the sun that blinds you in the day

and the moon you worship in the night

 

if you wipe off my mask

you'll find a wolf staring back at you

ivory teeth stained red

run as fast as you can

 

enter the castle of your kingdom

go to your queen

she'll wear the same crown as mine

 

sorry if the glass distorted your vision

sorry if you expected something more pleasant

sorry if i am not all the things you tried to make me

 

i am all the things your mother warned you about

and i will never apologize for that