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MOTHER & I THOUGHT
Off-white as a dead cow, a cyst
had been removed
from my upper inner thigh
a week before
this follow-up.
No nurse.
Aggressively
and recklessly,
he reopened
my wound
and told me I could squeeze
his arm. He asked
if I
know where my labia are.
I knew
where my labia are.
He peeled back my panties
like my mother
opens a can of sardines. Metal
grew on me
like ivy on abandonment.
I was old enough to go to
him
alone-
we thought.
Michelle Kern is presently earning her B.A. at Sarah
Lawrence College in New York where she devotes serious attention
to reading and writing poetry. Some of her favorite poets and
teachers are Matthea Harvey, Marie Howe, Thomas Sayers Ellis,
and Martha Rhodes. Michelle has interned for Community-Word
Project, a New York City based arts-in-education organization
and she currently works as an Administrative Assistant for Powercom,
a communications contractor. Michelle also enjoys harvesting
organic vegetables and wild game to cook for her family.
Email: Michelle Kern
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