Written by Friederike Wiessner.
i adapt
to the circumstances around me
i am a guest, less free—
i am nice, sincerely try to be
my gratitude is deep-felt
i start believing (myself) that this is a home
unpaid for, except for
me being nice, me spending time
with serenity in compromise
fold-out beds and couches
dig their claws into my back
oh how my ribs burn
i am treated with reverence
fairy-tale princess
awake on piled stacks
of too-soft mattresses
awkwardness like dried peas
scores of layers
underneath
my vertebrae talk
thank you for your blow-up mattress
my stomach speaks
i would very much like some toast with hummus
served on a kitchen napkin
my lungs breathe
thank you for sharing your blunt with me
eyes dark blue pools and light blue skies
my departure hovers
over the clouds we breathe out
Read more of Friederike’s work in the Atmosphere edition of WORDLY Magazine.
