I hold my shirt near my heart wherever I go
Mom tried to bury it, deep down below
I dug it out with her back turned
And said “I love you, you know?”
Ruby red threads loop ‘round my fingers
It smiles shyly at me as its hues deepened
Saturations intensify as I hold my breath
Jumping straight into the deep end
My shirt is desperate for air
As it clings tight on my chest
Dragged down to the depths
Thinking this is the end
Once I hop out the pool
And say bye to my friends
My shirt gasps for air
And hacks out water
Soaked in tears and chlorine
Scarlet drops drip slowly
Without even thinking
I make promises I can’t keep
It saw through my lies
And glared back at me
I glared at it back and took it off my body
Throwing it onto the wet pool tiles
Ripping it apart from the seams
No more sleeves, no more dreams
Only crimson red screams
As I tear and tear and tear and tear and tear and tear
My favourite red shirt
Buried six feet below
It whispers, “You are the worst”
And I reply, “I still love you, you know?”