by Susan Simonds

Little is more irritating
than the s q u i s h of skin
under a dull blade
or more satisfying
than the slick slice through

I imagine myself
and all my wrong hellos
and right goodbyes
becoming skin to smother
forcefully onto the board

From each slide of the knife
liquid and seed spill
still the skin
refuses to break under
the edge eroded
over and over
by angry waves
of brain

These memories
do as they please
until I shoo away
the fear at play

At long last, love
is the cutting open
cutting free

I place the wedge
maimed and bruised
on my tongue
and marvel at how my taste
cannot sense the struggle
but instead savors
the tang, the tart
the meat of it all

Susan Simonds received her MFA in creative writing from Adelphi University and currently resides in Nashville, TN. Her poetry has been published in The Fictional Cafe, Text Power Telling, Vines Leaves Literary Journal, Black Fox Literary Journal, and (R)evolution: The Girls Write Now Anthology.