Helium

by Rudy Francisco

I think I heard my brother say, “If he dies, I’m going to be in so much trouble.”

When I walk into a room full of people, all I see is an ocean.

pulled an entire disco of light through your curtains,

Play a song and give the stereo permission to use its outside voice.

Let the world know we don’t care how it sounds because the only key we need is already in the ignition.

I hope I haven’t already driven past my greatest moments.

remind yourself that you are human and this too is a gift.

My Honest Poem

Love this one!

I was born feet first and I’ve been backwards ever since. I like ginger ale. A lot.

I’ve been told that I give really bad hugs. People say it feels like I’m trying to escape. Sometimes it’s because I am.

Sometimes, I wonder what my bedsheets say about me when I’m not around.

I’ve got a hamper full of really loud mistakes and a graveyard in my closet. I’m afraid if I let you see my skeletons,

I’ve never been in the military, but I have a purple heart: I got it from beating myself up over things that I can’t fix. Some days I forget that my skin is not a panic room.

but I don’t allow myself to cry as often as I need to.

My hobbies include: editing my life story, hiding behind metaphors, and trying to convince my shadow that I’m someone worth following.

I promise I will love you as if it’s the only thing I’ve ever done correctly.

However, she makes everything feel like midnight.

To the Girl Who Works at Starbucks, Down the Street from My House on Del Mar Heights Road, I Swear to God I’m Not a Stalker

Perfection

That’s all I got so far, but I think it’s a good start.

Alternatives to “Bae” The one who wins all of the arguments, the keeper of the remote, the girl who turns my stomach into a butterfly nest, the pink Starburst, the one I will always choose first no matter what else is in the pack, the red Kool-Aid, the right amount of sugar, the pulp, the part that makes the juice seem real.

my hands cramp just to show me how painful love can be and sometimes, pencils break just to prove that every now and then, love takes a little more work than planned.

Until your heartbeat sounds like my last name.

If I was a love poet, I’d write about how you have the audacity to be beautiful even on days when everything around you is ugly.