Tonight's Poet Corner: Sparkles

Sparkles
by Belinda Roddie

How on God's green Earth
did I fall in love
with a beautiful girl
nicknamed, "Sparkles?"

Her eyes don't glitter,
and her smile doesn't shine,
and her lips only gleam
when she's glossed them.

She loves ice cream with sprinkles
and wears shoes covered in sequins.
She edits videos and uses the
goddamn lens flare effect all the time.

She dances to bubblegum pop
and sings along to karaoke. She makes
cocktails that look like neon drained
from closed storefront signs.

And she'll always nuzzle and cuddle
when I have downtime. The stars
"don't compare to us in the slightest,"
Sparkles giggles to me.

And yet, bless my poor heart, how
I adore her so, for she makes my pathetic
pump of a heart work harder, and we
light up like sparklers when we kiss.