Devon Balwit
Confession
I have cut the baby new eyes, a satisfied smile,
replaced this with that, in devious understatement.
I have swept the mess from the mantle, mounded
bellies with roses, been a gluttonous sow. My lion
has lain down with the lamb, a half-fleeced carcass.
I have put lips to lips others have put lips to.
I have been pricked by pricks, pricked by thorns,
handle and blade, bit and halter. I have leaned close
to the sleeping and the dead, stealing their simples.
Even with no handles, doors open, perhaps an ear,
an eye at a peephole. My father thinks me abed,
but I am elsewhere, dancing my slippers to ruin.
Devon Balwit is a writer/teacher from Portland, OR. Her poems of protest have appeared here before as well as in The New Verse News, Poets Reading the News, Redbird Weekly Reads, Rise-Up Review, Rat’s Ass Review, The Rising Phoenix Review, Mobius, and more.
SUBMIT to What Rough Beast via our SUBMITTABLE site.
If you want to support the mission and work of Indolent Books, consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Indolent Arts Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charity.
Join our mailing list to receive news, updates, and special offers from Indolent Books.