short shorts

on my list
of things to do
instead:
    wear short shorts.

the place i lined
with paper clips so sharp:
    thighs.

my little secret—
    no one knows.
        of the scars,
        of the lines,
        of the evidence
hidden on my thighs.

my cry for escape—
    therapy, therapist, drafted response.
both signed, both dated:
    a list
    of things
    to do
        instead.

Part of i didn’t ask, a recent poetry collection I put together. I considered putting it into a book, but it’s a small, ongoing collection of poems about my past and who I am today.