Back-to-back episodes
of a pottery competition show
have me wondering if I could cast my uterus out of clay.
Do I know my pelvis well enough to make her stand apart from the others,
could I learn the skills I would need to capture her nuance? & what would prove
to be the hardest part, keeping her walls
thin & fragile, pinching
the gradual taper
of my tubes?
But no,
I know
the hardest
part will be
batting away
the men’s
hands
that appear
unbidden,
wet to
the wrist
& eager
to pull.
_
Erica Reid is a Colorado poet, editor, educator, and critic. Her debut poetry collection Ghost Man on Second won the 2023 Donald Justice Poetry Prize and will be published by Autumn House Press. Connect with her at ericareidpoet.com.
© 2023, Erica Reid
Halfway Down the Stairs 