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Dermal Anxieties

Our prompt for the day (optional as always) is inspired by Kaschock’s use of space to organize her poems. Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a “concrete” poem – a poem in which the lines and words are organized to take a shape that reflects in some way the theme of the poem. This might seem like a very modernist idea, but poets have been writing concrete poems since the 1600s! Your poem can take a simple shape, like a box or ball, or maybe you’ll have fun trying something more elaborate, like this poem in the shape of a Christmas tree.

The
chest
dermal
piercing
that sits in
the middle of my chest
was stubborn to pierce
one cold December evening
Stabbing, like sticking a stake
into my heart, but without the
blood and the shock, and wouldn't
stay straight, only lopsided to the right,
keep stabbing, keep stabbing, keep stabbing
for ten to fifteen minutes, until eureka! It
finally stays straight and centered, we cheer and laugh,
that was slightly uncomfortable out of all the piercings,
be careful with it, it can reject, wash daily,
and here is a bandage. I've kept it bandaged for three months,
changing twice daily, with some issues and a lot of anxiety
yet Zach the piercer looks and listens with patience, it's fine,
I just have to rememeber that blood from minor bumping
isn't the end of the world - just keep watching and bandaging,
keeping it cleaned and sterile,
but what is the point of that piercing
if it's kept bandaged?
The piercing
will be for
the beach
and maybe
my eyes
only