Homeless

Looks so different in the eyes of strangers

No one ever tells you homeless looks like attention

from the eyes and bodies of strangers

Body after body, night after night.

I learned in 2017 you can be homeless and still have a roof over your head,

My stepmother spit venom when she called me lucky to live under her roof,

But I was dying out in a thin shell she called my body.

I have lived in three homes within two months, selling my body and words

For extra cash to afford rent and college.

Did I forget to mention that in my applications and resumes

I, private college acceptant, daycare teacher who looks like I have everything together

I am ripping my skin open every night to free the demons others leave on me

And you have the nerve to tell me I chose the easy way out.