Comely
The trappings of beauty—
paying for the eyebrow,
the asshole, the Barbie foot
attacked with a cheese grater
in warm water—lace one
snugly inside oneself, making
one seen and then sequestered.
Little darling, little oiled duckling,
little, thrusting palpitation, no
matter what we try, we will never be anything but our own.
Katherine Fallon’s poems have appeared or are forthcoming in AGNI, Colorado Review, Juked, Meridian, Foundry, and Best New Poets 2019, among others. Her chapbook, The Toothmakers’ Daughters, is available through Finishing Line Press. She shares domestic space with two cats and her favorite human, who helps her zip her dresses.
