every time I’m alone I wonder why | emily o'neill
after Britney Spears
hello tastes so pretty when you believe
there’s another waiting. hello haunts me.
the dance card’s empty. my hands are empty. my heart
plays innocent but she did this to me. oops, I’m another man’s fool.
oops, I’m my own problem again. I’m some star no one sees falling
& every time I fall out of my clothes the heat won’t last.
all the people in the crowd grab a partner. I’m left
standing on the wall. hush, baby. let’s make believe
for whatever reason, paradise cares what little girls want.
I pull my own hair, pretend pain is a stranger. work hard
on the logic of sometimes. don’t tell me to shut my eyes.
don’t tell me to shop around. I know what I want
& the world keeps setting it free.