“Why are you wearing shorts?” they say.

They say because they do not ask.

They do not want an answer, they want an action.

At times like this you wish you were a boy.

Or you wish a fashion designer somewhere

Would do something rad and normalize genderless swim shorts.

Your shorts are gym shorts that balloon in water.

“Why don’t you take those off?” they say.

They say because they do not ask.

They don’t know why you hide your thighs.

They do not see the invisible marks

that used to mark you red.

They do not know what hides below

the surface of the thread.