S T R E N G T H S

And what do you consider your greatest strength?
            The interviewer asks you
            Teeth gleaming like knives

And you
            Have none
                        Or do you?

She’s very creative,
            Your first grade art teacher said
            But you think she said that about everyone

A great writer,
            Your high school English teacher told you
            And sometimes you resent her for it

You’re so nice!
            Your best friend tells you all the time
            ​But you’re really only that nice to her

You never cause trouble,
            Your mother says, and you think
            She means it as a good thing

Nice tits,
            Some rando tells you, but you don’t mind
            So much when your friends agree

Organized and neat,
            Your last manager wrote about you
            Though you feel their standards weren’t very high

Your grasp of grammar is fantastic,
            Your first real editor assured you
            But they’d never seen your rough drafts

At least you’re funny,
            Your friends tell you, more with
            The sound of their laughter than words

You can adapt to anything,
            ​You tell yourself, but sometimes
            You worry that’s just another way to say manipulate

So you tell them
With teeth bared and
Your smile razor sharp like theirs
            ​I am a T E A M P L A Y E R

But only because you know that’s what they want to hear​

Originally Published in New Reader Magazine