To Have Been

by Frankie Koni

i have tried to hide my crazy and

gender non-conformity

shave every day and shape my words to

shells of life

do not do this unless you want pain

mental

spiritual

physical

i do hide now sometimes

i cull my words down to shaved ice

that never melts

but the cherry flavoring comes

from the medicine that being myself brings

Image credit: Jason Rosewell on Unsplash

i did not need another pill

with that my pain did not fade

i needed a voice to

yell

scream and

whisper secrets with

my humongous secret in me

stuck in my adam's apple is i

like to be seen as not crazy

i'm madly in love with my familiar husk but

i'm vibing with trying out authenticity now too

for my heath

mental

spiritual and

physical

***

Frankie Koni

Frankie Koni is a poet residing near their hometown Ypsilanti, Michigan and is proud to be a Michigander. Their work has been published in multiple Asylum Magazine issues and The Abandoned Mine. Currently, they have an active poetry account on Instagram and threads under @frankandthefruit. In the future, they hope to get a poetry chapbook out, as has been their dream since college.