USA

pcmc@igc.org 

Mastectomy

Fierce females valued a taut bow string,
hacked away obtrusive nipple and flesh.

After that first shadow,
you jettison softness, reach for the knife.

Later, you bandage a ragged crown of staples,
dump what drains from new flatness, over the heart.

This is what Amazons do,
what it costs to survive.

Hunger

Tonight you uncover me
all the way to hard lines
and naked bone.
A secret craving
scratches and growls.

I stumble over bruises
while an empty place aches.
This heart finds nothing easy,
keeps seeking missing fragments,
torn from itself.

I stand like tender prey,
seduced and insecure, 
stare into jagged teeth
of love's labyrinth mouth.

© All Copyright,  Jennifer Lagier.
All Rights Reserved. Printed By Permission.