I scream, you scream

I cracked the spine

of your self-help book—

helped myself, please and thank you

one scoop, two

of cherry ice cream & the sweet tannic bliss

drips down sticky on my lips

but these acrid teeth

find   there’s no water here—

I ask the girl in the pinstripe dress

with bubblegum hair

who looks like      my eyes

she replies, it’s buy one get

one scoop, two

"you can’t talk your way

out of things you behaved yourself into"

& if that’s true, can self-help

tell me what to do

with all the talking in my head

they tell me

I’m an adult in an ice cream shop

they tell me

I asked for sugar when I wanted water