by Hazel Mankin (’13 )
From the Truong Tran Unit

My goodness
Look at you
Honey, you’re looking so sweet there
In your thin summer dress
I just want to wrap my arms around you
And gouge your spine right out of your back
Darling,
I’ve never wanted so badly to
Peel back a person’s skin
Just to see their veins,
Their blood pulsing along those crucial little footpaths
I could just sink my thumbs into your eye sockets,
You precious thing
You are a treasure, my love
I’ll bury you deep in the damp
So no one can take you from me
The way your mouth stretches wide when you smile
Makes me want to pry out each of your teeth
To hang from my ceiling like stars
I want to
Plunge your face into ice water
And hold it there
You know I just love the way you move
When you’re fighting for air
No, I’ve never seen anyone move with the grace
You’ve got with five broken ribs
Baby,
I’m going to lay you down in your grave
Ankles tied and that silk handkerchief
Stuffed in your mouth
Your eyes are green and glistening as gems
When they’re wide with terror
You look so elegant
Laid out there
I’m always going to remember you
Just like this.