In defense of Hello Kitty

I try to
romanticize
my life with pink
and lavender hues
that glass
this bag
are those colors
meant for girls
and babies

for everyone, really.

because we are
soft
they are
soft
I want
soft

Unfortunately, healing doesn’t come
exclusively in
pastel hues and
Sanrio stationary

It’s more like those shades
of darkness
when your heart
has taken
a beating,
bruises
you just can’t see
when you bump into me

instead, you see
a set of pink pens
a notebook with lavender pages
a kawaii cosmetic container

You see,
Hello Kitty, Little Twin Stars, and Kuromi
are not childish
they are my constant companions
on every page of that notebook,
with every click of this pen,
in every swipe of that lip balm
so that
when healing is
too painful and
too dark

I remember,
they are
soft
we are
soft
there is
soft
waiting for me
when all there will be
are pink and lavender
hues