Codependency
I nestle into my melancholy,
It greets me like an old love,
Newly rekindled.
Except this time, it’s comfortable.
We’ve been acquainted intimately for
Some time now and
We’re devoid of any insecurity
We once had
About coexisting.
Now it’s like the moon and the stars,
Never one without the other.
Haley Mitchell, I’m a 23-year-old woman from rural South Dakota. I’m a tattoo and vinyl curator, body modifier, bookworm, outdoor enthusiast, and dog mom. During the day I’m a part-time barista and full-time Residential Counselor. By night, a feminist poet with a taste for the renegade lifestyle. I studied Psychology and Sociology in college but I’ve been creatively writing since grade school.
Frank O’Hara’s famous line “Someday I’ll love Frank O’Hara” has ignited a chain of responses from contemporary poets started by Roger Reeves and continued by myself and poets like Ocean Vuong. Write a poem about yourself that is also about your place in the world. Let its title be, “Someday I’ll Love (Insert Your Full Name).” This is the only rule to follow for this prompt. Be bold. Think big. Say something you’ve been afraid to say about yourself and your identity. For an example, check out Ocean’s poem “Someday I’ll Love Ocean Vuong” in The New Yorker.