Body Language
this poem
is like my body
it won't impress at first
but then, as it spreads to the right and
left margins, soft fleshy layers
upon layers
​
hidden words
tucked into its’ corridors
you will see
my body is smooth like the paper I roll my pen
over and spacious like a preserved natural wonder to explore
I sometimes run loose
over its surfaces
cascading down
the curves.
Can't imagine life
without this body all the shapes the endless
no form
of ideas bumping into one another
with no frame to put it in.
Can't imagine living in someone else's body
some tall ruler stick body with small wrists
Can't ever imagine
living in a body like that.
I'm sure it doesn't double over in laughter
& roll into a thick sausage
at night, I don't know
if I could ever do that
give up my body
haul it in to the Body Shop
get it fixed
flatten
out all the parts
& put me back together
shiny
& warranty guaranteed
​​​
Published in WomanSpirit, Wolf Creek, Oregon