In Summation
At this hearing I stand before my fellow members Of The Tortured Poets Department With a summary of my findings A debrief, a detailed rewinding For the purpose of warning For the sake of reminding
As you might all unfortunately recall I had been struck with a case of a restricted humanity With explains my plea here today of temporary i n s a n i t y
You see, the pendulum swings Oh, the chaos it brings Leads the caged beast to do the most curious things
Lovers spend years denying what’s ill fated Resentment rotting away galaxies we created
Stars placed and glued meticulously by hand next to the ceiling fan
Tried wishing on comets, Tried dimming the shine, Tried to orbit his planet, Some stars never align.
And in one conversation, I tore down the whole sky.
Spring sprung forth with dazzling freedom hues Then a crash from the skylight bursting through Something old, someone hallowed, who told me he could be brand new
And so I was out of the oven and into the microwave Out of the slammer and into a tidal wave How gallant to save the empress from her gilded tower Swinging a sword he could barely lift But loneliness struck at that fateful hour Low hanging fruit on his wine stained lips
He never even scratched the surface of me.
None of them did.
“In summation, it was not a love affair!” I screamed while bringing my fists to my coffee ringed desk It was a mutual manic phase. It was self harm. It was house and then cardiac arrest.
A smirk creeps onto this poet’s face Because it’s the worst men that I write best.
And so I enter into evidence My tarnished coat of arms My muses, acquired like bruises My talismans and charms The tick, tick, tick of love bombs My veins of pitch black ink
All’s fair in love and poetry
Sincerely,
The Chairman of The Tortured Poets Department
— Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department (2024)
