|||

Poetry by Anna K. Crooks

These pieces come from girl poems, Anna’s debut collection and the first volume of the BRUISER Zine series. Preorders for girl poems are open NOW.

everyone is entitled to my opinion

it’s just my opinion but honestly
you can say bussy” in your poem
you can say serving cunt” even if you
don’t really get what it means you can say
“neopian” in your poem if you want and
you can say i don’t really know what’s going on”

it is a poet’s job to preserve
the vibe in the room that they live in
if your room is full of fire
you’re allowed to report on that
in your poem

i can say i am feeling my grip on reality—
it’s slippery and grippery in a way like those
weird soft plastic butthole tubeys
filled with water and glitter and
pretty chunks and beads
that we all had in the 90’s for some reason
like it feels like i’m trying to grab it real hard
and its squirting out of my hands reality’
or whatever and if i could just figure out
how to relax my grippers id be able
to hold it forever but
the temptation to squeeze
is too great always” if i want

i’m the poet
i get to decide

all the beautiful girls

small careworn green beanie frog keychain
its beans making a small crunchy sound when
you poke its soft belly and push it around on its chain

i got a flip phone just so i could clack it closed
i got that moonstruck tattoo just so i could
talk to people about the movie moonstruck
i got close to being happy i think and i got cher
in the back of my mind when i think of the perfect woman

the girls are talking and laughing
together innocently conspiratorially?
i love them i love to see women smiling
i love to see women plotting a downfall
i’m just here to admire all the beautiful girls
and i’m just watching her say that

small tiny even pink plastic shoe
with teeth marks in it distorting it
the shoe couldn’t be barbie’s now
it exists only to be chewed on

i got a best friend just so i could weird out men
in public places i got a best friend just to stay up
all night and craft fantasies with laying
on our bellies on her bed under her magazine
pictures plastered to the wall of teen heartthrobs
its barbie summer girls we are so fucking back
i got a best friend just so i could hold her hand
i got a best friend just so i could pull her hair

Anna K. Crooks

IG: @anna_y2k

Up next BRUISER ZINE 001: girl poems by Anna K. Crooks The Thanksgiving Truce Holds...for Now [Anything for a Weird Life]
Latest posts "Virtuoso" by Sean Kilpatrick & Christopher Parks "Otherwise" by Robert Stone "Our Last Day With Orange" by Shauna Friesen Impressions of Acme Corporation's The Lights Went Out Because of a Problem [Anything for a Weird Life] "Rian Pecker has Never Made a Perfect Road" by Gram Hummell "Bittersweet" by Joshua Vigil Two photos by Paige McGill 2023 Pushcart Nominations Tape World: Evil Spirits S/T Cassette [Anything for a Weird Life] "Warpig" by Anthony Neil Smith The Thanksgiving Truce Holds...for Now [Anything for a Weird Life] Two girl poems by Anna K. Crooks BRUISER ZINE 001: girl poems by Anna K. Crooks "Eve's Inner Witness is Not a Monster" by Dipti Anand "The Stupid Railroad" by Addison Zeller "Vicus Cracti" by Some Fool When Should Your Band Break Up? [Anything for a Weird Life] "Tutto Passa" by Carson Jordan "White Mercedes/Faith Healer" by Sy Holmes "Goddess of fire" by Cait Quirk "Shit We Don't Need" by SH Woodgeard See You at The Bean: Impressions of Tripper's EP Release Show [Anything for a Weird Life] "After not dying" by Alex Shiflett "Four Men" by Noam Hessler Two stories by Sean Ennis "First World Problems" by Jon Doughboy Tape World: Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation [Anything for a Weird Life] All This Time You Thought I Was Good: Devin Lunsford and Mark Wadley in Collaboration "The Tamp Trader" by Felicia Change "In the Outlet Mall" by Jon Tuttle "Under the Influence" by bedfordtowers