Kay (Katie) Hansen

“Sometimes I'm torn about eyes
because there are times when I'm
riding the bus
walking to class
shopping with my mom,

when I look up to find
eyes on my body,
hungry stare, sometimes someone
my age and sometimes
not, a stare that turns me
into a meal.

And sometimes I like the way it feels
like someone has lit a torch
in my stomach in the deepest night
and all the moths come seeking.

Is it possible
to like something sometimes
and hate it other times?

Am I allowed
to decide when
I want to be
a feast?”
― Olivia A. Cole, Dear Medusa

“and Ray might've understood
how running feels like freedom

but I don't think he could comprehend
how the flesh I wear is feral -

that giving it kindness sends it farter
into the trees, eyes glowing

that it no longer understands softness
when everything it touches turns to stone.”
― Olivia A. Cole

“Do you understand the violence it took to become this gentle?”
― Nitya Prakash

“I may not know everything, but
I know enough to be sure
that every secret in my life
is connect at the core -

I don't know what the notes mean
or who's writing them, but
I do know that shining a light
means you see what's in the dark

and a girl can only handle
so many monsters, especially
when there's one staring back
in the mirror.”
― Olivia A. Cole