Melissa Lozada-Oliva
Sonnet for Letting You Go AKA the Sandwich Saved Me
sonnet for letting you go aka the sandwich saved me
1. I’m not a real superhero; I just chose the right costume.
2. I can't really fly; I’m just really good at jumping.
3. I’m not a real detective; I just learned how to spy.
4. You said you would never find anyone like me but I am not the only gifted one in this city.
5. You could binge-watch me over & over & try to feel different every time the same ending came around.
6. You were never a Kilgrave, as in, you never made me do anything I didn’t want to do.
7. Still, when you would hold me I’d think of the girl who could never leave her bed, the boy standing by a fence forever, all the ways to wipe a body off the face of the earth.
8. I wish you a love that feels like the greatest hyperbole.
9. You said I didn’t need an alias that people recognize a hero when they see one.
10. Now, it’s the alias that spoons me to sleep.
11. Green men will come back to the city & some buildings will burn down & more cars will crash & trees will definitely get set on fire & I will still check my phone & wonder where you are.
12. Here's something: You were every street name I recited when I was afraid.
13. Here's something else: That really was me that saved you.
14. Here's one last thing: That isn't me anymore.