Lana Del Rey

I acknowledged who you were for the first time.

I didn’t call you by any other name

I let you know that I knew the true nature of your heart-

that it was evil

that it convinced me that darkness is real

that the devil is a real devil

and that monsters don’t always know they are monsters.

You said I don’t know who I am

But I do know who I am.

I love Rose Gardens

I buy violets every time someone leaves me

I love the great sequoias of Yosemite

They write that i’m rich and i am but not how they think

i have a safe i call the boyfriend box

and in it every saved receipt

every movie theater ticket just to remind me

of all the things i’ve loved and lost and loved again

unconditionally

it’s the little things that make me smile

i keep them just for myself

Sweet the way it tastes in my mouth to say your name

sweet like when I was young, driving down those roads before we

were done

before any big battles were lost or won

unbeknownst to everyone

except for you and me.

The universe exists

because we are aware of it

I always had something gentle to give-

all of me in fact

it’s one of the beautiful things about me

it’s one of the beautiful things about nature

Not everyone’s nature is good or golden

and you can’t fight what’s in your nature.

you in front of me

And you take and you take and you take and you take

but you taste like the beach in a kiss

candy for my watery eyes

in my veins that roll you run citrus

watercolor images of serpents on orange trees quietly arise

and grow sweet in my midst

But you don’t understand me

You see I’m a real poet

My life is my poetry

my lovemaking is my legacy

My thoughts are not for sale

they’re about nothing

and beautiful and for free