PErvOL Books

“My mother thinks I’ve dyed my hair red
for attention—
How can I explain to her the ways that she is
right
and
wrong.
As of last night,
my hair is the color of a brick
the moment before it goes through
a stained-glass
window.
My hair is the color of a fire engine
driving through a burning building.
My hair is the color of a dart frog:
generations of death adapting
into this exact shade of poison.
It’s called aposematism—
we learned about it in bio.
It’s when an animal advertises
to predators that it is not worth
the attempt to consume.
Bright red and orange,
the colors of pain,
I WILL MAKE YOU SICK
I WILL KILL YOU FROM INSIDE YOUR THROAT
ATTENTION!
I MAY LOOK LIKE PREY
BUT I WILL END
YOUR
LIFE
My mother says I want attention
and maybe she’s right
My mother says I am just making a statement
and maybe she’s right
But in my mind it’s not saying
please—
it’s saying
don’t
and this is how I know men
are not really wolves
because maybe
a wolf
would listen.”
― Olivia A. Cole, Dear Medusa