Beware the Ides

life's shiny veneer
peels away like
pop apricot on a
left hand thumb.

eraser shavings sprinkle
a flowered bedspread
because the ways i
share don't work.

with cryptic messages
and honest actions
i convey what i promised
myself i'd teach you.

i'd teach you there's
nothing to learn.
that you're doing it right
and that what scares you doesn't hurt.

because the pink i chipped
reveals a blank slate
and the parts of me
left best black and white.

no glossy masks,
no neon colors.
and this is black and white:
there's no turning back.