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.