Let her suck air through her teeth first, anticipating
the beginning of pulling the meat.
Let her slurp grossly from the shell,
baby pink like lipgloss and magnolias,
let it dribble off her too-big chin
and stain her blouse. Let her crack
each one open with pleasure and disdain,
Let her rings glisten
through the wet sliming down her fingers.
Let her eat.

Look at this:

The anatomy of a sane girl,
breaking.
hair like octopus tendrils, skin that breaks when bit.
expensive-smelling soap, cheap toothpaste and
closed-mouth smiles.

Stop painting the eyelids gold
to try and make her look awake,
when she only wants to sleep.
Stop squeezing her thigh
when she doesn’t know how to form
words.
Stop walking behind her.
She feels threatened when a man walks behind her,
not because he can hurt her,
but because she has been seen.

Let her wear her wet rings
to hurt you if she needs to.
Let her eat.

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