I think that if I kissed you, you would cringe
and I’d lock myself in my room again

I have pretty things from foreign lands there
like geishas, statues, and paper fans

Why am I a monster?
What makes me so homely?

Here’s the mask Daddy brought from Peru
and wooden clogs from Amsterdam

I like me a red silk kimono

If my skin touches yours,
Would you cower like a wounded beast?
Like the lion Daddy slayed in Kenya?

Where are your fangs, darling?
Why don’t you bite me now?

I can endure the pain of rejection
I know the cold
Daddy went to Alaska once
Have you been there?

Ice can be lonely, but it’s beautiful sometimes
So I’ll keep my hands to myself