Mirrors

am I still woman with one breast gone?
hanging around one man too long
legs give into knees I can't locate
was it my spirit you ate when I cooked you dinner?
I try angles
still the mirror is always square
stare cross-eyed
so sometimes I can see two of me
laughing at myself
crying for no one else

I am looking for the man in me

trying to figure out why that second syllable
was attached to my
womb and

Today my body has no room for visitors, freeloaders or lovers
my frame holds fingerprints from being moved
hanged on nails
displayed on white walls for decoration
I see you looking in me trying to find sanity in vanity
while combing through your hair
I break in pieces just to fuck with you
I break in pieces just to fuck with you
so you will think of me for seven more years
even if you're not


good looking

Today I pressed my one breast against the glass/cut off one arm/
took off my left foot/bit off my one good bottom lip and
kissed myself the way you did
when I was considered woman
barer of children and water
my blood no longer colors the moon
no sperm will find a name
and I notice how woman it must be
to feel
just like a man

© Moore Black Press 2001
Aus: The Alphabet Verses The Ghetto
Atlanta: Moore Black Press, 2001
ISBN: 0-9658308-0-2
Audioproduktion: 2001 M.Mechner, literaturWERKstatt berlin

Ogledala

jesam li ja još žena s jednom odsečenom dojkom?
predugo se držeci jednog čoveka
noge mi u kolenima popuštaju, ne mogu odrediti
da li si to moj duh pojeo kad sam ti večeru skuvala?
probam uglove razne
ogledalo je uvek četvrtasto
bulji razroko
pa ponekad moj udvojeni lik
smeje mi se
i za drugima ne plače

I tragam za muškarcem u sebi

pokušavajući da shvatim zašto je taj slog koji nas u reči deli
zakačen za moju
matericu i

U mom telu danas nema mesta za posetioce, parazite ili ljubavnike
moja vanjština krije tragove prstiju kojima je okretana,
na nokte zakačena
i na belom zidu kao ukras pokazana
vidim te kako me gledaš i tražiš razum tamo gde tašta sam
dok kosu ti češljam
na komade se razbijam samo da bih se s tobom jebala
na komade se razbijam samo da bih se s tobom jebala
da na mene misliš i kroz sedam dugih godina
čak iako ne budeš

zgodan

Danas sam svoju preostalu dojku uz staklo pripila / jednu ruku odsekla/
levu stopu odstranila/ preostalu donju usnicu odgrizla i
ljubila sebe na način na koji si ti činio
kad sam ženom smatrana
roditeljkom dece i vode
moja krv više ne boji mesec
nijedno seme neće naći ime
i sada primećujem kakva to žena mora biti
da oseća
kao muškarac

Prevod sa engleskog Marija Kolundžija