Dear Fellow Homecoming Royalty
I love you
though you hate me
and that’s okay
You see, my feelings for you
aren’t romantic
Therefore they need no reciprocity
I don’t admire you
for your eyes, your lips
lovely though they are
unless you, your attributes
contribute in some way
to the crystals in your crown
the sash across your chest
I don’t care where you are now
unless it has to do with
the poised prince
whose timeless smile
I hold in my heart
Jackie Chou is a writer from Southern California who has two collections of poetry, The Sorceress and Finding My Heart in Love and Loss, published by cyberwit. Her poem “Formosa” was a finalist in the Stephen A DiBiase Poetry Prize. She has work forthcoming in Synchronized Chaos in August 2024.