something like blasphemy

they say

your body is a temple

i say

bullshit.

i say

no one has ever traced meaning from my hips,

found scripture in the protrusion of my stomach,

but i’m still searching, tearing apart my limbs in search of something holier than a god

in search of somewhere the nose can’t be seen

& my body is no longer a phantom limb i am trying to shake off

the place

where i can see myself

& feel myself

& i do not have to compress

the space i take up

i am searching for the

the

i do not have the word

for something that does not yet

exist.

Joanna Gerber, Fall 2018

Artwork by Kate Kopf