they say pretty girls

pretty girls don't cry

their eyes are dry and dusted pink

and they shift too quickly

before you can drown in their depths

and see the shattered colors beneath

or the words they are choking on

they say pretty girls

pretty girls don't eat

they count the calories

they think and think and think

too much

too big

until their stomachs are flat and aching

and they carry pebbles in their pockets

and clouds in their head

and syrup is flowing through their veins

and their hearts are stuttering and pleading

inside a chest stuck too far out

they say pretty girls

pretty girls don't speak

they take what is given to them

with open palms and shaking lips

even when glass is shoved down their throat

and blades flung at their bodies

and bruises on their thin wrists

and the color has drained away

they are girls of loose seams

and scattered pieces

and their voice is just a wisp

a shadow of smoke

from the flames that set their hearts on fire

they are burning

you want to be a pretty girl?

they say

shatter and break

until you can no longer remember the meaning