She lip-syncs “Hello God,” then “9 to 5.” She struts. Or does she fly? Like the soul, a rhinestone, she tells us, will never die. She’s a blush-pink Bible. Patched together, she’s a cosmic doll. Mirror of a mirror, she winks, her face the only...
Black and crackling curiosity, you can take the crush of my hand or glass or chair leg and skitter away, the plastic of animals, Teflon finger of the nest, chitin-bright layer-down of trail and track, mind with the brilliance of leg.
Misery spots Catastrophe scaling the garden wall. Misery dials M for ________, while Catastrophe robocalls Fate. Misery swabs her nose and recites her birthdate. It is possible to be crushed by the wave, while holding open the gate. Catastrophe rolls down a window and coughs in...
Misery from Alpha to Omega. Misery is fluent in Latin and Greek. Misery is the shield full of fable and augury. Misery is the hand holding the shield, numb to vulnerability. It is possible to be both arrow and bleed. Misery makes the same mistake, inscribing want with...
Holder of loose blood. Taker of contraptions I use when I’m brave enough to save myself. Visual reminder that I can do it. Former container of pickles so you smell like sour victory. Glass house of my gender. Chest hair–maker. Every interaction at the coffee...
At fourteen I wanted to devour you, the twang, the strut, the perfect proletarian butt in the black pants of you. I wanted a man like you to sashay into town and teach me how to be an aeroplane in water. I didn't want to...
Everyone in me is a bird. I am beating all my wings. They wanted to cut you out but they will not. They said you were immeasurably empty but you are not. They said you were sick unto dying but they were wrong. You are singing like a...