Hermaphrodite

All Eyes on Earth be urgently Attracted to 
that Hermaphroditic form I longed for having. 
I have it. All Hapiness. Derision won’t change the Body I swarm;
Nor Scorn, nor More Violence, or Lies 
Can try me Small. I ease around, Quasi-Octoroon 
    Of Sex’s quick Ball, très Black, confronted with these added Eyes
Batted against the temple Grace of my Body, my breasts—
     O am I a looked-at Dignity! demanding Serenade.
That tight thru-space between Seer and what’s Seen 
Might be Sensation’s rise, or Shame, or is Solicitation’s chance,
    the calculus arguing gender, sans 
the petty Knowledge divides my thighs. Remember me, 
the god Phanes, who created, cries; Use me,
    the god Hermaphrodite, who revises, replies:
I am their audience. Ain’t nothing here subpar!
Light breaks over all Eyes like sound plays the Guitar.

Copyright © 2024 by Rickey Laurentiis. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on January 15, 2024, by the Academy of American Poets.