Buy a star and give it your own name
by Kylie Yockey
Declare yourself an adjective
pick the pieces of you out at Build-A-Bear Workshop
decide if you like the sun
consider if you’re a human or a creature
stab someone in the back, just once
fit yourself for hide-and-seek golden spots
command strangers to call you by another name
figure out your star chart, just ‘cause
choose to eat from the kid’s menu only
get tattoos of the first line of every book you read
fight with someone’s dad about black holes
burn it, burn it now, before somebody sees
ace an “Are You Gay?” online quiz
forget everyone’s name as soon as you meet them
name yourself after your favorite constellation
write yourself an I.O.U., you know why
declare yourself then add an epithet
Kylie Ayn Yockey (she/her) is a queer creative and MA in Writing candidate at Spalding University. She is poetry editor for Blood Tree Literature. Her writing tends to explore consumption, ghosts, and apocalypse anxiety (you know, just body things.) www.kylieaynyockey.com
IG: @kylieaynyockey