stoner termites

after Sabrina Benaim

my bed asks me where my
will to get up is; my will to
get up runs and hides
under layers of illness. my
layers of illness ask me
where my meds are; my
meds are a brick wall made
of bandaids. my brick wall
made of bandaids asks me
for structural support; my
structural support is being
eaten away by unforgiving
termites. my unforgiving
termites bite at my brain
and whisper in my ears;
the whisper in my ears tells
me how I’m the perfect
picture of a quitter. my
perfect picture of a quitter
asks me why I haven’t just
smoked some weed; my
weed reminds me that I’m
the caricature of a stoner.
my caricature of a stoner
asks me why the fuck I
don’t just chill; my chill
asks me if my whole
personality at this point is
pain. my pain only
screams; my screams
demand all the attention.
my attention asks me if it’s
time to get out of bed; my
bed asks me where my will
to get up is.

Dane Lyn (they/them) is a neurospicy, genderqueer, disabled, educator, poet, and glitter enthusiast in a love-hate relationship with Los Angeles, where they reside. Dane has an MFA from Lindenwood University, a ridiculous collection of succulents, and four scavenger hunt runner up ribbons. Dane’s work can be seen in Quillkeepers, Gnashing Teeth, Gutslut, and Imposter. Their debut chapbook by bottlecap press, “bubblegum black,” was released in early 2023 with rave reviews from their mom. They are on social media @punkhippypoet, and most of their published work can be seen at www.danelyn.net