She said I was trying too hard.
She said I was trying to imitate
The works of others.
She said I was drowning myself
In dirty bath water.
She said I was burning
The altar of my own god down to a
Wet ground.
She said I was quietly sleeping
At a best friend's near-deafening wake.
She said I was waiting
In a line all by myself.
She said I was watching
An invisible snake dancing
To an unseen instrument
In bitter,
Hanging winds.
She said I would hang myself
Leaping from leveled
Grounds,
Dangling from a slit noose
Bound to slippery
Industrial skylines.

She said I was trying too hard
To be clever.