Thunder Sandwich  #23

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Jason Fraley

Stories of My Body


Masochism


The fleshy keloid

beside my left eye,

a nose, flat except for the tip -

each time I misspeak,

long legs swing

my feet everywhere

except to my mouth.   


Genetic Humor 


Follicles uproot themselves

from my temples,

make a pilgrimage to my thighs,

nose, and the skin

around my belly-button.


Mutation


In the dorm's bathroom,

a friend noticed I had seven abs.

Laughing, I explained

one was a deformed rib,

but from the looks given

by the girl with Eve's long hair,

he guessed God had decided

to prepare me for love.



Two Reflections


I always wanted to shave

with dad when I was young,

have the dull razor skim

my foamed face like a skier,

make me feel grown up. 

I ignored my reflection, fixated

on his burly red beard, knowing some day

I would have my very own.


Now blood trickles down my neck,

sharp blades unlike their childhood partners. 

It's my reflection and sideburns

that preserves his auburn genes. 

Cream covers scars, youth stripped away,

stubble to mark its passage. 



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