Rule Book

by Michelle Fulkerson


My values and morals
are pocket sized,
they can collapse into any form
to accommodate those around me.

I want to stand up
to voice my opinions
but if I do, they'll notice
that I've been sitting down
for a lifetime.

I want to stand up,
but my own shame 
keeps me silent,
bolts me to my seat.


* * * * *

"Rule Book" is from Michelle Fulkerson's collection I Am from Stargazing on Rooftops, edited posthumously by her mother, Julie Fulkerson (Cerasus Poetry, July 2022).

Michelle Fulkerson fought her way into the world at just 23 weeks gestation. Against the odds, she survived and thrived. Michelle loved reading, writing and music. She began writing poetry and short stories at age 12. Around that same time, Michelle began struggling with anorexia, anxiety, and depression. She kept a journal where she wrote with poignant honesty regarding her mental health struggles. Michelle wrote up until her suicide, just 4 months shy of her 18^th birthday.