The Hollow Women
by Talia Mesnick
After TS Eliot and Terrance Hayes
The thorns here
that have been ignored, we
preen and parade them, go
beneath or around
expectations: the
emotion more prickly
more steeped than a pear
depth more prickly
shape of a pear
heart more prickly
sweet seed of appear
Steep are our footsteps here
we sink or we-
ep today and years ago
shoulders round
we have not found the
prickly
pear
just now but at
a time when five
or seven earths conjoined like finger & nail, oh
but this suits you, this clock
you have created for seeing us in
monochrome, hollow porcelain, this the
blinding of yourself every morning
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