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