critical - Tori Mitchell
You told me boys don’t like girls who read too much
so I got my own library card
and carried Oscar and Virginia like a shield
You told me to cover up
so I wore the shortest dress I owned
and crushed the hands of anyone who touched me
You told me I was beautiful with my mouth closed
so I showed no hesitation in speaking my mind
and I would never become soft silk for you
(I once loved a man who confused me with vodka,
half-poison, half-goddess
he tried to water me down
sweeten with honey
stamp out the fire
so I left him behind)
You told me girls should be delicate and dainty
so I turned up with bloody knuckles in combat boots
and spat teeth of steel
You told me being a writer isn’t a smart career choice
so I filled journals with a garden of words
and made sure people finally heard me
You told me nobody likes public displays of affection
so I kissed my girlfriend in the middle of a crowded street
and a big neon Fuck You flashed above our heads
(what you meant was
two teenagers can make out on a bus
but god forbid two girls hold hands)
You told me it was her fault, she was asking for it
so I linked my arm in hers at the police station
and forced them to listen
You told me that bodies covered in tattoos aren’t pretty
so I illustrated mine with bluebells and snowdrops
and spilled ink into swirling scripts
You told me that my hair looks best when straight
so I wore it curly
- girl, princess, warrior, queen
freedom - Tori Mitchell
free·dom
/ˈfriːdəm/
noun
- there is no elixir like the salted waves.
- all I know is smoothed shards of shattered bottles and splintered wood, laying a path towards atlantis. I am not a stranger, the tide floods through my veins, my heart is anchored to the ocean floor.
- the sea is not a sad song. the waves do not care for weeping.
- i kissed a boy who turned into seafoam before my eyes, leaving a trail of sea glass like a welcome mat. I kissed a boy in a crown weaved of coral and pearls. I kissed a boy and tears don’t matter when you’re made of saltwater.
- poseidon is calling me home.
Contributor's Note
Tori Mitchell is an avid reader and writer who finds poetry a lot more cathartic and cheaper than therapy.