You say
‘She takes care of herself’.
And I wonder, how do you know?
Is it in the smaller space she occupies
or the neatness of form that fills it?
You see
compact + composed = care.
You say
‘She’s so well put together’.
Like some kind of exhibition?
A jigsaw of lithe and light and lean
pieced with smooth and sleek and sharp.
You see
tone + texture = together.
You say
‘She’s let herself go’.
Where is she going?
She is bleeding out in a mess of soft edges
spilling into space
a silent swollen apology.
You see
softness = shame.
I see
me.
LISA PAHL
Mt Barker, SA
