I’ve been lying to you

for almost 70 years

I’ve told you I’m nice

Or at least promised to try to be nice

I’ve snu?ed out my sparkly flame to fit what I think you’ll like.

I can’t do it anymore. I’m done.

It’s time to pull

my skinny ragged self out of my own belly

where I’ve held her in chains –

yes, those chains that wake me in the night

With rattling hurting aching su?ocation.

But she’s not dead

She is rising.

Eye of the Tiger. Oh yeah.

She’s not nice. Nope. She’s mad.

She’s seen it all, pretending to be asleep, trying to sleep.

Ask her what she knows.

Ask her who she is

Under the soft flesh of her self-induced coma.

Ask her what’s under the layers of Nice

Ask her about the clenched jaws, the fat, the roiling gut.

Ask me who I am, again and again.

Breathe life back into my lungs;

It might not be too late – but time is fleeing

Don’t waste it now,

Don’t go back to sleep.

Find those sparks and fan them into flames

For god’s sake, fan them!

They may devour you, burn your edges, but

Let me tell you who I am

Let me be wild, outrageous.

Let me dance – for god’s sake let me dance

before it’s too late.

Let my song become my wail of rage.

Let me tell my truth.

Let me change the world.