You have a bluebird in your chest by Haley Mitchell

You have a bluebird in your chest

I love that bluebird in your chest.
You might try to silence him
With cigarettes
And drugs
And sleep deprivation
But I hear his song
I am immune to your façade
And if I weren’t
I’d already be gone

Haley MitchellHaley 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.

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