Wednesday, October 7, 2015

piercing


talk turned to piercings
over the lunch hour we shared 
surface comparisons
ears, tongue, nose

i spoke of the modern primitives
the desire to adorn -
to be altered, or altar -
what kinds of objects can be placed under the skin
or through it, how 
the body fights, encases, pushes

how I had toyed with the idea of a prince albert piercing -
i did not tell them why.
i told them of my friend
- let’s call her "T" -
who took turns piercing her nipples
letting one heal before piercing the other

for the rush, she said

i did not speak of st.teresa
how her ecstasy was double-edged
how sometimes pleasure and pain
are entwined, how 
passion is enfleshed
and spirited, how 
i too imagine myself
satisfied with nothing 
less than god.

we did not speak of how 
our hearts are too often pierced
by the words we say and don’t say
the longing to hear your voice

we did not speak of the fragility of skin
how much it is like paper,
how much gets written on it,
what stories we then tell

we did not speak of the human heart, our need
our fear