Fear

Kids our age seem fearless,
but adults our age are terrifying.
Fear is a driving force of 23.
You can get so scared you move
or don’t. You can get so scared you marry.
You can bury yourself in a baby. Or fail to plant
yourself in one. You can get scared,
and stuck.

But it’s fake, we’ve been choosing all along.
I went to liberal arts college, now I’m paying for it
and paying with it.
I met a bunch of kids
who confirmed and refined my weirdnesses.
I became attuned to them: now we talk
as they move more and more in together
in New York City.

Fear is catalyctic. Also crippling.
Useful as a tool and weapon.
Ageless, sexy: symbolic of desire.