My life is a
suffocation,
an ever-tightening of
a corset already tight,
the eyeholes and the
drawstrings
are my knife and my fork.

Here are my stays of flesh
and bone:
I place my plate back in the cupboard.
Here is my punishment:
a ridgid spine and
shallow breath.

07/17/2003

Author's Note: possible submission

Posted on 07/18/2003
Copyright © 2023 Vikki Owens