Self-Portrait With Loose Laces

Self-Portrait With Loose Laces by Sawyer Galimova

I live with loose laces

I tied them once and haven’t touched them since

It’s a convenience thing, just slip on and leave

I’m in no hurry to fix them before I trip,

Because everything goes well anyway for me.

I’ll get around to calling my relatives

But not right now, I’m doing nothing and savoring it

Loose familial ties will stay loose

I’ll get around to it before they’re gone,

Because everything works out in the end for me.

I cross a road to school everyday

With a loosely-defined crosswalk

There’s no stoplight, the white stripes lie silent on the ground

And the 6 lane traffic will stop to let me through every time,

Because everything goes right for me.

I deserve to rest, so I skip clubs and fairs

Most are only loosely important, a college application benefit

Intensive work lacks incentive without a paycheck

But I’ll get into college easily,

Because everything in the future is perfect for me.

I loosen restrictions I placed on myself,

But I can never rest enough to feel awake

The things I won’t accomplish weren’t meant to be mine

If my chest would feel tight when I got to the finish line.

I’ll get every good thing I deserve regardless, and I do

And I ignore the string of doubt that winds tighter around my mind.