Member-only story
Steam
Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon?
Likes
Hellfire inside bellybutton and the back of her neck
Likes swollen breasts press-up against grazed knees
Breathing low. And fast. Unable to see.
High-tide to the bosun
Bare feet dangling over the edge, polish-chip
She invites not-knowing, skin-shedding,
Greedy.
It’s her trial by fire, it’s exploratory foreign fingers
It’s digging inside her mouth, probing for cavities, for gold
For previous men she might’ve kissed.
It’s jealousy made palatable, made logical, made matte
Her young skin is nothing if not matte.
In women's circles, which she harbors great resentment for,
She commiserates. Wouldn’t be caught sprawling nude
Not in grandmother’s eyes. Sinners beget sinners,
Forget when the postman arrives, lace up the apron,
Dust off the loveseat. Where? Sit why, when you can lie
On the floor, in the dirt, under nightsky?
