When A Friend Tells Me I Am A Trope

Gaia Rajan

I want to be undeniable,
so I snap mint bubblegum,

send my address to strangers,
Tweet. I turn sixteen browsing TV Tropes

and I christen myself Manic Pixie
Dream Girl, spray my hair 48-hour blue, pound

my desire into a vinyl. I’ll be a hollow
thrift-store dress, just pretty enough. I’ll name myself

new. I’ll be your perfect. I’ll apologize.
I buy a wardrobe and talk to three boys

and then I realize I want
to be undeniable. Imagine a bird turns

into a mouth. Imagine the mouth widens into
wound. I will never be

a patient body, or an empty attic. Some days
I am afraid of myself. It’s been a long time

since I wanted to die, since I chiseled my body
to someone else’s desire. Since I could be that girl,

the girl who sets the world on fire,
burning herself to the ground.