if i have learned
any important
lessons from life
the most important
is to always treat
yourself as second
then when you are
never put first
it isn’t a surprise

it sounds sad
living your life
in this particular
unseemly fashion
maybe you can manage
fine without

but from my first
half liquid gasp
in the harsh lights
of the delivery room
life made it crystal
clear i was not meant
for first place
and ever since that
horrifically terrible
first day it has done
everything it can
to remind me
if i want to survive
i need to make myself
as small as possible