Pretty Lies / Ugly Truths

By Alex McHale

A debut poetry collection written over the course of 5 years- from the ages 16 to 21- by a trans man coming of age while trying to balance trauma, dysphoria, and the hope that someday things will get better. From the internal struggle of growing up queer and religious, to the rage at being young in a body that is already falling apart, these poe

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alex McHale
• Release date: Feb 15, 2024
• ISBN: 9781917116039

Book preview

pretty lies // ugly truths

by: Alex McHale

Copyright © 2024

All Rights Reserved

Nox Haley

pretty lies // ugly truths

Content Warning

The poetry in this book includes references to the following:

toxic relationships

seizures

eating disorders

self-harm

depression

anxiety

suicidal thoughts

sexual assault

homophobia

transphobia

gender dysphoria

Table of Contents

Content Warning

Blossom

Toxic

Inner Demons

I wish I had faith

Hollow bones

How Do You Feel?

A soft touch

Aura

After a seizure

Chronic pain

Coping skills

Depression

Dissociation

Escapism

First love

How to go

Intrusive thoughts

My apologies

Panic attack

Puzzle pieces

Shitty poetry

Unrequited love

What we leave behind

A Terrible urge

Fantasy

Coming back to life

To my fellow recovering anorexics:

You breathe in and in

For the girl I met on bumble

BFFs

Anger issues

I’m not okay

The secrets of tarot

Breathe with me

How to break free

How to write a poem

How to fall apart

on the art of decomposing

A premise on self-destruction

It’s called hope

When your body doesn’t feel like your body

This isn’t a fairytale

When you try to write like the greats

But then I remembered that it was bullshit

3 am

Functional Depression

The Silence

The Collapse

Wasted potential

Affirmation

Why I write poetry

Let me be oxygen (harry potter upon seeing hogwarts for the first time)

I want to be a poet

Craving a healthy relationship

He was poetry in motion (dead poets society: todd to neil, post suicide)

Blossom

A small flower

Hanging off its stem

So close to falling

Dropping

When you grab it-

You don’t have to pull

Just touch it

And