Desmona
August 16, 2020
By: Kishi Akinsunmade
Oh I’m mona
Nice to meet you mona
I know it is
Well my name is Des-
Oh, honey, you might want to change that
Well I’m new here
It’s obvious, is that your outfit?
I think it’s cute
Yeah definitely Walmart chic
I’m sorry can you excuse me
Yeah no..you don’t have a chance without me
Ok then
Since we are besties,
I’m gonna be honest
Besties huh..okay
Ok so I’m definitely doing you a favour
No need for an attitude
You need to get contacts
Some hair gel
Some makeup please
It hurts to look at you
And these clothes need to go
If you thrift your whole wardrobe
might as well buy from a second-hand brand
Also, we may need to do something about the extra weight
Like you’re so cute
I just want to bring out the best in you
I know we just met but I feel this connection
Aww you’re so sweet
I think we’re gonna be real good friends
Well, I'm going to-
Sorry, I got to go but don’t do what you were just about to do
Also, I’m in all the clubs
So don’t join any because it’s my territory
Yeah sure thing mona
Babes don’t even stress it, I’m just ready to give back
Well, she’s such a sweetie..
Like the tree of knowledge
of good and evil,
She opens my eyes to the wonders that are the world
That behind the sugar is diabetes,
Behind the clothes is nothing but a void,
A black hole that I cannot escape from
Because I gravitate towards toxicity
I was programmed this way
Just like she was programmed to be the centre of her world,
I am lost in space at a time when the earth was considered to be flat,
How can I be saved when the basis of their reasoning is wrong?
I am programmed to be the underdog best friend
Cutting her off is like the solar system losing the sun
But would I rather live in darkness than sunburn
Or maybe when she’s gone I don’t see the burn
I’ll just feel it
Is she worth knowing?
Or learning to love?
I cannot shut her up
She won’t stop till-
Hey girl
Can you stop being weird and do something productive?
Hey girl my name is Desmona
And you are nothing but a part of me
I control you
And I’m tired of your narcissistic husky attitude
I forgot that Des came before mona
So I’m gonna try this again
Hi my name is Des
Hey Des!
Call me Desmona
Just as a little reminder that
I start here and you end there.
Author's Note:
This poem is built around the idea of a toxic friendship. This is an odd friendship as both friends are part of one persona. This poem exhibits aspects of bullying because most of our first experiences with it occur within ourselves. The poem shows the toxicity of one's self-hatred and shows the journey of overcoming it. Another thing to note within the poem is that although one of the girl’s names is mona, it was not capitalized because mona begins in the middle of Desmona and Des is the only one deserving of the capital.