i. he won’t stay. the boy who tastes of cigarettes and whiskey won’t love you. he will take your heart and he will take her heart and he will leave you both shattered on the floor. the boy with long eyelashes and chapped lips will not love you. he will trip backwards upstairs trying to impress you and he will give you promises of strawberry ice cream and hand-woven dreamcatchers and true love and he will break all of them. he will not love you.

ii. he won’t stay. the boy with the bright hair and loud voice won’t love you. he will terrify you, arriving like a hurricanesweeping you up, tossing you around and he will call it love. he will write lovely words that will fill your heart, but his words will not be for you. the boy with soft sweaters and warm hands will not love you. he will tell you beautiful, honey-coated lies and he will make winter feel like summer and on Christmas, he will leave you for another in a town 300 miles away. he will not love you.

iii. you won’t stay. the boy with a sweet smile and gentle words will love you. he will hold your hand and he will hold your body, but he will not hold your heart. he will introduce you to his family and his friends and tell you his story and he will plan for the future. the boy with summer eyes and wild ideas will love you. he will give you first dates and chocolates and flowers and he will teach you to dance, slowly and softly, and he will give you the world you do not want. you will not love him.

iv. you will want to stay. the boy with dimples and never-ending eyes will try to love you. he will not make promises, he will not give you flowery words, but he will give you laughter and a warmth unlike any other. he will slowly fill you, he will take over your thoughts and he will teach you about God and you will meet his brother and he will tell his sister about you. the boy with sun-kissed skin and a blazing soul will try to love you. he will ask to read your poems and you will give him your art and he will meet your friends and give you a nickname and he will try. he will try. you will ruin his love.

-titled, “how to become your demons” by e.b.