Ghost Matinee (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781963115338)

FROM THE BOOK:

Dimpled

My left breast has now become

a parody of its full and unscathed sister.

Life-saving, my left breast insists

as I slip a silicone pad into my bra.

Until this deep dimpled scar

I had hated the smooth mound

on my right shoulder,

the result of a birthmark removed.

Now I ignore that childhood disfigurement.

It could have been worse,

I'm ashamed to have complained.

My scarred breast

makes many of life's hardships

seem small,

makes me clutch each day

to my chest.

I refused reconstructive surgery,

no longer lament the little hollow bowl.

Let my body go on

in lopsidedness.

Let me compensate

for what is diminished.

The breast, even though a shadow

of itself, is still part of me,

areola and nipple intact.

This scar keeps me hitched

to gratitude

until daisies take root in my teeth.