Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
don’t rub your eyes,
don’t pull at your skin
apply sunscreen
when you go outside
she points to the
spots on her thighs
sneak to the bathroom
use up her foundation
pound my pores
into submission
freckles are private
kisses from God
I once had a tight
body like that;
holding the moisture,
the buoyancy of her
youth in my bones
do not be selfish
with the sacred
kill the thief
with daggers;
I suppose a mirror
will do instead,
mother said
originally published in Prime Number Magazine
Nicole Cosme lives in New England with her husband and dogs. You can find her poetry in Sky Island Journal, The Decadent Review, The Dillydoun Review, Seisma Magazine and elsewhere. Visit nicolemariecosme.com for a full list of her work.