In another time I would have taken
center stage at the freak show,
My untraceable face masked with
never fading Harlequin make up,
My vision clouded in a haze of
powdery deep violet.
In another time I would not have to try
to lure in the wealthy gentlemen callers.
My immaculate three breasts or sassy second head
would have beckoned the dandy men to break open
the seams binding my legs together tight.
In another time my lips would have been
stained only with the finest red dye.
And each time I took a dainty sip of lavender tea,
I would taste the poison eating away
the last rotten years of my life.
In another time the tightest corset wires
would have cut deep into my sides,
Causing my ribs to bleed delicately,
Causing my voice to sound the sweetest.
And only in another time could any surgeon
take a scalpel to my deformed chest
and slit my perfumed skin apart,
Just to find a carousel of sharp pins and needles
blossoming out from my cushioned heart.
****
