Vase of Tulips
My heart never breaks when I do the dishes
It only becomes shattered by pure laughter
Terrified I will never find another that makes me laugh as you do
When I chew you
It’s fabric sunflowers
My head breaks from trying to digest their painted porcelain vase
I feel like peeling wood when you coat me in your lilac-honeydew glaze
My overthinking forces you to pour a bucket of ice water over my silly angst
Wash me in the voice I talk to myself in
When I outpour love in my heartfelt passions
What I find exhilarating
You are so strange, yet familiar
You remind me of myself, and you find happiness in what I find hilarious and delightful
I ruminate in fear of desperation
Kassidy Slaughter (she/they) is a Northeast Tennessee-grown poet, zine artist, and children’s book author. Their poetry was published at the young age of 10 and their scholarly work is featured in the Cornell Undergraduate Research Journal. They have self-published and toured around New York City with their Disabled Radicalism zine, with guest appearances and copies available at the Come Forever mutual aid space in Williamsburg, Bluestockings cooperative bookstore in the Lower East Side, and the Cherry Grove DIY Zine Fair (2024) at Fire Island. Her poetry has additionally been featured in the Out of the Box Zine (2025).
