statistics

When I was thirteen, I started to work myself out

In the way teenagers tend to

I bought pins, changed my name

And tried not to think about the statistics

I am trying to write this into a poem

To make it feel profound, or justify the space it’s taking up

To explain it in a way that feels more like reality

Than some strange dystopian fiction

But when I was thirteen, I worked out my style

I had a first crush, and a first kiss

I told my parents about the life I wanted to live

And I watched my life expectancy drop