subtext -- hybrid by Lexi Lynn

: you think my hair is pretty?

well let me tell you that my soul has been on fire since the day I finally saw the icy outlines of the indigo hills. I have been searching, searching everywhere for something to patch my bullet-tainted mind but I am left on my knees, eternally praying.

: well I think your shoes are cute.

but what I really mean to say is that your eyes look like they contain the history of the Universe. that beneath your sun-bleached skin, there are secrets and stories that are hidden under years of guilt. that there is more mystery to you than substance.

: it was great bumping into you!

and I know that you will continue to run from your ghosts, to run even when your bones begin to rattle and your concrete-scraped knees can’t survive another step. you will drink all of the honey in the world and only taste battery acid.

: have a great rest of your day.

the days will stack together like the houses in my subdivision: proud and plain and predictable. the days will melt into weeks spent lying in the cornflowers, wondering how to get better, wondering how to stay better. the world is a cage for birds like you.

---

Lexi Lynn is a field frockling, sunshine loving high-schooler who has more dreams than serious plans for her life. Her pastimes include hiking, writing, doodling, and daydreaming up stories. She is hoping to pursue a career in journalism or fine art and eventually publish her own book of poetry. She believes that there is good everywhere if you know how to look.