call me
girl with a cat in her belly;
must be why i’m always mewling,
something only slightly
louder than satin.
i cut off all my hair, and like sampson,
lost my power over men.
half-savage, dollface, little moon
with rouge.
what do you want this time,
the vampire teeth
or the baby’s breath? you’re not
from around here,
are you. exotic, i am. bird of brilliant
plumage. eat me, eat me.
my bones, your delicacy. yellow fever,
my kiss can cure it.
monk of secrets. the silence in the humid air.
the mosquito whining by your ear.
to be consumed
is a rotten sort of power. what sunbird
thanks its captor?
the cat in my belly is clawing
at my throat.
she is hungry and you are too close.
________
Kimberly Ramos is a half-Filipina poet from Southern Missouri. They study creative writing and philosophy at Truman State University. Their work has appeared in Whale Road Review, Southern Humanities Review, and Jet Fuel Review, among others.
Photo by 莎莉 彭.
________
Amid the rise in anti-Asian hate incidents, I reached out to the boy who bullied me 20 years ago.
[NBC News]
