Mirror Meander

Author's Comment: This poem was originally written for a feminist poetry reading.

A thousand nights of knife-blade romance
Trace their uncaring lines on my hide.
Branded beautiful by mutual consent.
Branded adequate by one size fits all nightlife.
Branded.
Whores ltd. Fresh off the assembly line.
Yeah, we aim to please.

But couldn't please you.
Wasn't good enough for you, king.
Wasn't enough of a silenced whore.
Wasn't.
But don't I deserve existence
Beyond paper doll anthromorphic pleasure?
Am I so ugly as a mere person?

No, but you would have me believe so.
My motto is not "in cock we trust."
I can be more than my sex.
I can be the Archer, the Moon, the Witch.
I can be.
And that's what scares you the most
Isn't it?