i am not your manic pixie dream girl

my eyes are not deep blue pools
and my freckles aren't constellations dusting
the galaxy of my cheek. my face is not a simile or a metaphor for anything having to
do with nature or space.

i am not your manic pixie dream girl

there is nothing quirky about sitting alone at lunch and my lone wolf status is not a
badge worn with pride. don't try to put me
in your boxes; don't label me quirky or artsy or anything other than me. i am not different
from all those other girls, don't give me a golden status of other.

i am not your manic pixie dream girl

my scars are not tragically beautiful and
when i cry tears don't gently roll down my
cheek and my mascara doesn't streak like
a shooting star. no, my eyes are red and puffy
and my hands shake and i am a hot mess.

do not romanticize my suffering; do not try to turn my life into a tragic backstory,
setting you up as the knight in shining armor

i am not your manic pixie dream girl
so darling, go chase a different fantasy.