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Tethys Abu-Judom Poem
we are vines & a tree
choking each other without meaning to.
we both want to grow towards the sun
but we can't do it without stopping the other.
of course, no one will win. we are both taken down
by a landscaper, or a homeowner, we both die.
when the saw grits, we both get hurt
because what else is there to do
but fall & be fallen onto.
Copyright © tethys Abu-Judom | Year Posted 2026
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Tethys Abu-Judom Poem
you don't have to change to be happy,
you just need to be someone else.
you get to choose the character, the celebrity
adopt their qualities & style your hair.
jump in their old VW bus you never had,
drive to a place you know you'll probably never go.
pretend you can drive.
pick up a cd you've heard them talk about,
realize you don't have their taste.
take a vow of silence, ride in the backseat.
always be holding a book, or crossing your arms.
do you think they like to draw? do they fold straw wrappers into childish origami?
realize how little you know, make stuff up.
the heat of the car makes it hard to be someone else,
the sun is giving you tan lines they never had
are you changing, just by being awake?
if you cut your hair, you'll regret it.
don't give away your old clothes, just buy more.
the last page of the book you're about to pick up will remain unread.
go to the library anyways.
don't go back to the hospital,
don't suffer in an unromantiziable way.
you don't need to be someone else,
you just need to have been born better.
the way you walk could be less awkward, but you can't change it now.
if you were born with a different nose,
a brighter smile,
a thirst for knowledge,
then you could be you. then you could be happy.
but that's not who you are. & there's nothing anyone can do about it.
you feel less stuck when you're outside, reading.
your favorite music makes you wide-eyed.
spend time laughing at stupid jokes,
use your too-loud camera in public,
get lost in a store, get scolded, get a new lip balm
you don't have to be someone else,
you don't even need to be happy.
but you have lungs that fill, at least.
you still wish you weren't you.
Copyright © tethys Abu-Judom | Year Posted 2026
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Details |
Tethys Abu-Judom Poem
how many times have i seen this exact shadow pattern on the road?
how many times did i drive over speedbumps,
only to forget once the car settles?
drive over a pothole
hold it in your memory
don't stop thinking, don't stop thinking
what road were you just on?
what color was the patchy road under the hole?
you write it down to always remember
you read it back & have no recollection
you'll never be the tires,
you'll probably never even drive the car
but you can sit in the passenger seat
you can crack the window for a while
you still feel the road from underneath whats holding you up
you'd really rather walk
to have complete control
you could run away,
why are you still here?
are you waiting for the next pothole?
Copyright © tethys Abu-Judom | Year Posted 2026
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