Dear Girl in the Mirror,

 

I am the only one at your funeral 

But the tears are caught in my throat

Because I watched you slowly fade 

And I let you slip away unnoticed

Only because I wanted to wear your skin

And make it a refuge

I was tired of being locked in the prison you called your shadow

 

But I‘ve robbed you of more than just your body

I hear your name from our sisters

And echoes of she and her

Are whispered among classrooms

They don't know you are gone

But I do

I know the clothing holding our chest together made your lungs collapse

And you choked on the word tomboy

I knew your heart had stopped beating long before I said my name out loud

 

This was supposed to be a eulogy

But how can I praise something that didn’t want to exist

I knew the questioning thoughts circling in my mind were suicide notes written by your fingers

When I sought out answers to the word "Boy?" I signed my new name on your death sentence

But I didn’t want dysphoria to add my grave next to yours

 

Someday I’ll find a old picture of you and have a bittersweet smile

Because you’ll be proud of the man I’ve become

Thank you for saving me...

 

-Brandon