I am ruination
with ink-stained
lips
and blood under
my nails
I carve a calendar
onto my skin
so I will never forget
where I come from
(too many pills
too many appointments)

I am ruination
with torn-bitten
lips
and melancholy mind
I write
my story on scraps
of paper
(leave them for
strangers to find)

I am ruination
with fuck-you red
lips
and unblinking eyes
I brush ghost hands
off my body
(exorcise your memory
from my body)

Nicole Deardorff is a 19-year-old queer actor, dancer, and writer. She began writing poetry as a way to stay sane. She isn’t sure how well that has worked, but she is at least still alive. Her writing has won multiple awards from Scholastic Art and Writing Competition, the most notable of which is a National Silver Metal in 2014. In 2013 she won the First Annual Mudsock Poetry Slam, and her poetry was recently featured on the online magazine Twenty-One Pearls. Check out more of her work at thewingedones.tumblr.com.

Molly Lichten is a young, talented photographer. View more of her work on Flickr and Facebook, or visit her website, Molly Lichten Photography.