Squirm
by Abigail Ray
*Editorial Note: Due to unique spacing, this poem is best viewed on a computer, not a phone.
What if it was all for show?
The house and the dog
Our love nestled in a tree in the backyard
Limbs splayed and hearts beating in tandem
What if all that is left is a fire and a wash?
I don't need that outdoor shower
to love you the way you were born to be
Fuck everyone else
If I told you I needed you would you parlay?
Would you love me for a night without
anything extra?
Could we be what you always wanted?
If I gave you everything
could you feel for me
like you knew not just my heart but my
Liver. That shriveled up
Husk
If I let you take my
Soul could you
find me in the shallows?
Would you love me even if I dragged you down
with me?
Your hair is the color of corn and the feel of silk
would you let it run ragged and Wild with me?
Could you let this cold gray thing
learn the meaning of color?
Or am I
just the same mousey
haired girl imaging she is
loved when she isn't?
Find me in the dirt and the grime, crawling with lice
I want to see if you're genuine
I want to see you
Squirm
About the Author
Abigail Ray is a writer from Portland, Oregon. She has been published in Fruitslice, Maudlin House, and Same Faces Collective, among others. She has her BS in English and Writing, and primarily writes poetry, personal essays, and fiction. Her goal is to graduate from her current job as “Mad Woman in the Attic,” to “Vaguely Off-Putting Lighthouse Keeper.” For the benefits, mostly.
