Barbie Chang loves Evites Paperless
Party Posts that host her
ego patch her holes she puts barrettes
on her heart so other
people will see her will hear her her
heart is made of hay is
disturbingly small held in it cage she
is never late when invited
always ready for mimesis ready to put
on her costume to
drink mimosas her heart smells like
moth balls jumps at
every broth bell her heart growls more
each day she trims it with
a number two it’s messy work missing
her aorta by a little bit
her heart is always sort of bleeding she is
always waiting for
invitations once she heard the Circle
planning a birthday party
for a daughter she stationed herself
sipped water for days
waiting for the Evite leaving her Kindle
on as a nightlight it
glowed a blue garden on the ceiling she
let her guard down it
never made a ringing sound when you
brush a child’s hair the
mother can also feel the pain she heard
the ice skating party
was a hit little girls going in figure
eights their breath
coming out in clouds shaped like
little white hearts
From Barbie Chang (Copper Canyon Press, 2017). Copyright © 2017 by Victoria Chang. Used by permission of The Permissions Company, Inc., on behalf of Copper Canyon Press, www.coppercanyonpress.org.