Origami
I’m really good at origami
One time, I turned his entire box of red flags into roses
This other time, I made my body into a graveyard
I’m a rest stop for deadbeat lovers
And half the time
I’m folding my no’s into yes’
I’m always trying to turn things into something they’re not
Change them
Alter them
Thinking that maybe if I just tweak them a little bit, I can fix it
Do you remember when I tried to mold your anger into orchids?
Tried to flip my father into full time
The thing about origami
Is once you make the fold
You can’t go back
The crease stays there
I’m learning that people are like paper
You can’t get the creases out of them
No matter how much you try
You can’t make someone be where they don’t want to be
You can’t turn stones into stairwells
The hardest thing about origami
Is you have to take the smallest pieces of something and try to make it whole
Which is why half the time I’m left with unfinished projects
Which is why half the time I got all these paper cuts on my hands
I remember I tried to turn you into a swan
Used all the scars you had from previous artists
But that’s the most beautiful thing about origami
Is That you can take something hideous
And turn it into something it never thought it could be
Even if it’s just for show
Even when you know that the swan is not really a swan
When I say I’m good at origami
What I really mean is that loving you is a trick I’ve mastered
Creases and all
And I know that this doesn’t last forever,
That eventually the swan turns back into the ugly duckling
That I will no longer be the person you need
So I guess that makes the both of us good at folding
Did you know?
Japanese tradition says that if you fold a thousand cranes, you get one wish
I’d fold a thousand more
To love you one more time
Ashley Edwards is a poet from Richmond, Virginia. She began writing poetry at the age of 16 and has been writing ever since. She’s currently working on publishing a poetry book of her own. She enjoys writing on subjects such as love, betrayal, friendship, racial injustice, and about strong, beautiful women. She also enjoys performing her pieces at local shops around the city and hopes to inspire people with her words.