Freak Girl

And in the sand

where I lay,

stretched out naked

on a towel

that felt like a scrub brush,

I ended up

standing in the bathroom line

for 34 minutes

while listening to two women

in matching stripped suits

talking about hating blowjobs

and wondering if they’d ever love again.

The world tilted the same

all the time,

and it felt particularly predictable

some days in the summer heat,

especially in grocery store lines

or at parties

where you only know one person

who’s really more a friend of a friend.

And I rolled my eyes

to the circus

I saw around me,

which did not make me popular

even in middle school

where clicks got their kicks

by messing with the freaks

so I sang in the choir

and kept my head down.

But somewhere

along the rocky way

I found

this solid fire magic

within me

and she cradles me

when this freak of a girl

feels too crazy and alone.