every. single. time. by Abiola Regan

Stop it. (Blink.) Just. (Blink.) Stop it.

Eyes peering through shades of red

The rage within reaches a simmer

Double bubbling but not overflowing

Lots of toil, even more trouble

Nose, breathe in. Calm down.

Mouth, breathe out. Rage again.

Seething through gritted teeth

Exasperated on the one hand

Out of control on the other

Pinned against the ropes

A monthly SummerSlam event

Wreckage of the past forgotten

Caught by surprise, every. single. time.

As though calendars do not exist

Silent prayers, are you there, Judy?

It’s me, Hormone Monster.

The moment of resigned recognition

A laugh and a hello from the other side

See you next month, old friend.

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Abiola Regan (she/her) writes poetry and fiction. She has a keen awareness of pop culture to the point that her friends have nicknamed her IMDb. She enjoys combining her academic background in psychology with her pop culture savvy to explore relationship dynamics in the pieces that she writes.