today I call myself

Elizabeth

Elizabeth—

who never,

ever

goes by Liza,

or Beth,

or Lizzie—

is confident

she is all abstract angles

and sharpness layered over sweet,

over smooth deep beneath

Elizabeth pronounces it

“to-mah-to”

and always has loose change

for donation buckets

and arcade games

should the situation arise

she is unfazed by the

day-to-day,

and equally conversant

with the night –

in fact she could map the stars

with only a pad of paper

and a Sharpie

Elizabeth cooks exotic meals

and shares them with a bounty

of hungry friends –

she is never alone,

not really

she takes her coffee black

but never drinks caffeine past 5 p.m.,

when she switches

to chamomile tea

with orange blossom honey

Elizabeth is perhaps not perfect,

but she is bold –

fiercely herself,

unbothered by the words

of others

today I call myself Elizabeth

only so I do not have to be

myself.