Empath(Y)

You peel and pull until the skin is as raw and as red

As the freshly refurbished tear ducts of your

saline-coated people watchers. Hardened

calluses and homegrown hang-nails.

Absorbing abscessed heartache

From the farcical aristocrats

Who can’t handle the pain

Quite like a narcissistic,

Self-proclaimed

“Tortured”

Artist like

You.

Kyle Rea is a queer writer from Ohio. They currently live in New York City, where they’re pursuing a creative writing MFA at The New School. Their poetry and fiction can be found in Subnivean, Dirty Girls Magazine, Jenny Magazine, and more.