You have been choking out “I love you”s like apologies since the 8th grade
And mistaking wasps for honeybees ever since
Your skin is bleeding
Although it is still all perfectly intact
And I think that if your eyes could talk
They would scream

Anxiety and self doubt has chewed your insides
Taken your soul captive
But, darling, you do not need to suck in your stomach
Or color your cheeks hollow
You are not more beautiful for the space you are missing

You are the universe
Your eyes are sun
And your soul is the moon
Freckles are the meteor shower scattered across your skin
Your hair is entangled with solar systems
It billows down and covers the secrets of life written in brail on your collar bone

Your lips are like far off undiscovered planets
And you twirl galaxies on you fingertips for play
No one will ever burn as bright as you do right now
So do not dare call yourself nothing
You are the universe