so you’re really gonna play with a poet
and then act surprised when you get poem-ed about?
darling, don’t be delusional

you never even took me on a real date
but that’s ok cuz your dear friend did—
you’re a student in STEM,
you should know Newton’s laws—
“an object in motion stays in motion”
and that’s all you ever saw me as anyways
(an object)
so I reckon I’ll stay in motion
(with your friend)

you shit-talk me to your pals,
I real-talk you in my publications
(we are not the same)

so go ahead and pretend you don’t see me
on campus—I’ll see you
in my next petty little poem and pretend
to feel bad knowing you’re staring at a screen
thinking “wait, could this possibly be about me?”

you see, I hate that you’re such a good kisser,
but I’m an even better disser—
darling, let’s not pretend
that if you could deliver
and you weren’t with her,
you wouldn’t slither over hither

and I’m so done blasting Writer in The Dark by Lorde
or Bitter by Fletcher
or U Can’t Touch This by MC Hammer
alone in my room while stalking your socials
and calling that Healing—
so I guess we’re doing this now

and so my friends and family
and therapist and wax lady
and favorite ex-situationship
and that one girl who overheard
me rambling at the dining hall say

“but Emma, don’t do this—
be the bigger person”
……………No.

“but Emma, you should have just trusted your gut”
……………I can’t, I have Crohn’s Disease

“but Emma, what would you do if the
muse of this mess hit you up right now?”
……………I can’t answer your inquiry at this time, this is
……………supposed to be a petty LITTLE poem
……………and I’m running out of space
……………and I have people to see, places to be, things to do
……………(with your friend)

————

Emma McNamara is a 21-year-old national award-winning writer from Hopkinton, Massachusetts. Her work has appeared in publications worldwide such as Wild Roof Journal, Ember—A Journal of Luminous Things, Beyond Words, Eunoia Review, Scholastic Art and Writing, and Defenestration. Emma’s passions include mental health awareness, disability advocacy, and LGBTQ+ issues. She has been an editorial board member at Beyond Queer Words since March 2021. Follow her on Instagram @author_emma.