Introduction
Six is the highest roll on the die, the Lovers in a tarot deck, and Virgo in the
zodiac.
My sixth poetry title, Love Looks Pretty on You, is a celebration of the female
spirit. In this book I weave the threads of my past to complete the tapestry of
my present. I reflect on my life to this point, as a woman and a creator who
has come full circle.
In this book I pay homage to my mother and to my sisters, all over the world.
I celebrate the synergy of our work and relationships.
The love we have for each other and, most importantly, the love we have for
ourselves.
Love looks pretty on you, and you should wear it with pride.
x Lang
At Last
Love looks pretty on you. Makes you soft, tender, proud. Makes you sit up
and take notice. Gives you a home to set down your things.
What a blessing it is, to have music and dancing and poetry. What a gift it is,
to look at someone and say,
I'm so happy to have found you—at last, at last, at long, long last—you're here.
The Long Way
You're the girl who takes the long way home. This is the way you do it. This
way you will have stories to tell. About lovers and liars, thieves and kings.
You will have spine-chilling tales to spin.
You will see the ones who rose so fast, dazzled for a moment before they
crashed back down to earth, crawled back into the dust.
But not you. Never you.
This is the way you've always been. A hook at the end of a long, long line.
Waiting patiently. You will get there and believe me when you get there: you
will be glad you took your time.
Endless Cycle
You want to hurt your father for all the times he has made your mother cry.
Because you're the only one in the world he loves more than himself. So, in a
weird, fucked-up way, you find yourself with someone just like him, and just
like you wanted, you see the hurt in your father's eyes. But it ends up hurting
you too.
This Year
I am starting this year barefoot in the sand. Moonlight on my skin and sea-
wind through my hair. Love in my heart and murder in my veins.
This is not the year I leave to chance or karma. It is not a year to live and let
live.
If we have unfinished business, the wolves will be howling your name. If
there is blood on your hands, you will get what you deserve.
If you think you're safe, all you've done is bought yourself time. If you think
distance can protect you, I can cross oceans in a heartbeat.
And if ever you find my name slipping from your memory, I can promise
you, by the time this year is through, you will never forget it again.
Sunday Afternoon
We keep each other
while the lilacs bloom outside,
while coffee spills like inkblots
on bone white sheets.
We keep each other like cats,
lazy and warm stretched by the fire,
like secrets told in the dead of night.
We keep each other in love and light,
in our darkest hour,
we keep each other safe.
Why You Fell in Love
You said you never wanted a girl like me, that I was too much. You said
being with me was like looking right into the sun. But I don't know how to
be what you want, when this is why you wanted me in the first place. The
very thing you want to change about me is the reason why you fell in love.