.png?format=webp&quality=75&width=3840)
Illustration by Dulce Maria Pop-Bonini
Once Upon A Time
“I was meant to be the writer, but you knew the plot long before I was ready to tell it.”
Mar 10, 2025
I’ve been emptied inside
But it’s no longer Halloween
Putting my dry skin out on display
Doesn’t get the same kind of reaction
But the kids still scream, though not in joy
And the parents tell you to look away
I’ve always been a child at heart
You name me after your favorite pet
You braid my hair
No matter how much I protest
And I cry just for your reaction
But you let go of my hand,
and I’ve lost you in the crowd
Still, you pass me by
But I’ve run out of tears long ago
Before you called me by a name
I’ve come to hate
I’ve told you stories
The kind you like
Embossed and flamboyant
Told for your enjoyment
My imagination is wild, you say
I chuckle
You don’t recognize you’re the antagonist
It’s sinister to clown the face
of the person I tell my joke to
Though I enjoy playing a game
I swore I would never love
Yet I tell you my stories
With a smile on my face
Engrossed in every detail
But the devil’s in the details
And I always try to find you
You watch me, and I almost get a glimpse
A glimpse of what it would be like
To be a part of your story
But you’ve already written me out
And that’s the real joke
Because I was meant to be the writer
But you knew the plot
Long before I was ready to tell it
Because you’ve already been here before
Micah Hein is Deputy Features Editor. Email them at feedback@thegazelle.org.
related
trending