Lady wrote this the morning of the October 23, read it at open mic that night.
Oyster
In the labial mantle the
irritant is cradled in tissue
nacre layer after nacre layer
on the palate and way way back
yonder near the hinge,
gills fan plankton to lips –
labial palps – the lips of
an oyster’s mouth
The inside of
my going out purse smells with its
own merroir…
It has compartments, accordion folds
and zippers for
lipstick, keys, wallet and lint
My friend says to put money in
a new purse you are gifting
I like how my teeth echo
the pearl necklace – they
are rounded, all lined up,
graceful, kept – I am at the moment
tidy and tender, a woman of worth
to herself or that another saw
as worthwhile of the pearls
bumping my clavicles above
the vneck
My hands flutter and blink
the handle of the purse
like a rosary
The purse stands on its own
on the carpet at the restaurant
by my feet and today
I am freshly laundered
and always in black
Back home, I remove the necklace and
put it in a velvet pouch and into the jewelry
box reminiscent of the Ark of the Covenant
then pad to the sink that’s always
getting stopped up and rescued with Drano.
My hands clasp hot water and soap to face
splash and rinse, splash,
clasp, chin neck cleavage
evening ablution water light
wet as quicksilver
melting makeup, surfactant
I pat with hot water
I pat with cold water
I scrub my pits while my face evaporates
I put a pearl of Perlier
on my ruddy rubbed finger pads
sweep it upward like
they say to do
a gift from the friend for
women of a certain age
I am naked
I have scars
I have nipples that stick out
I’m a cupie doll with exaggerated
woman curves
My friend she says she likes my form
I walk shy naked before
my husband like I’m Betty Boop
wobbling with bound feet
on a mental tightrope
I pull off the weighted blanket,
whoosh the Egyptian cotton sheet open,
slide stubbly legs between
two chill light heavinesses
cold toes appreciate the smooth
calloused heels scratch
I close my eyes
a half dream summons itself
from phosphenes
I am taken under the tide
~ Lady, 9.23.2025