by Haley King
I.
I learned the purple and blue
marks were ones of pain. They led to what
happened coming at you from everyone
who notices. I had this grape-color
on my knee for two weeks from falling on the pavement trying
to learn how to ride my bike. My mother said they made me
look stronger. I saw
I learned the purple and blue
marks were ones of pain. They led to what
happened coming at you from everyone
who notices. I had this grape-color
on my knee for two weeks from falling on the pavement trying
to learn how to ride my bike. My mother said they made me
look stronger. I saw
II.
those indigo splotches again, but this time around
my mother’s eye. She saw me
and wept. She grabbed my face
and told me I hope
you never have these, I hope
you do better. I grabbed her face and told her
they made her look
those indigo splotches again, but this time around
my mother’s eye. She saw me
and wept. She grabbed my face
and told me I hope
you never have these, I hope
you do better. I grabbed her face and told her
they made her look
III.
strong. These infamous mulberry marks
would somehow appear after nights
I couldn’t sleep. These spots didn’t make me
look strong, but I couldn’t stop them
either. They meant you were
injured or someone injured you. But I was
the only one involved in those jagged nights.
strong. These infamous mulberry marks
would somehow appear after nights
I couldn’t sleep. These spots didn’t make me
look strong, but I couldn’t stop them
either. They meant you were
injured or someone injured you. But I was
the only one involved in those jagged nights.
IV.
I’m now staring at the fresh hues
of violet and cobalt left from time
spent listening
to the movie, but not watching. You had
to leave, and I don’t know when you will
be back, so I hang onto the love
until they heal. A mark left
by someone else as a reminder
isn’t always bad, until it is.
I’m now staring at the fresh hues
of violet and cobalt left from time
spent listening
to the movie, but not watching. You had
to leave, and I don’t know when you will
be back, so I hang onto the love
until they heal. A mark left
by someone else as a reminder
isn’t always bad, until it is.
Haley King is a current student at Salisbury University, majoring in Biology with a focus in Environmental Biology and a minor in Creative Writing. Her work looks at the uncomfortable aspects of personal relationships, and this is her first publication.
Hawaii Pacific Review 