Origins, Volume 10, No.2 (5)

Herewith, the latest selection from dusted-off published poetry and short fiction, circa 1970s vintage and beyond....

My Self

I am many where
I would be one
fearing forced explication
or the face turned away from mine
so I become malleable
as clay
responding to others' biases
tamping down
my inside self
forcing up those double images
parroting words
to evoke pleasant acceptance
prevent awkwardness
yet disliking this stranger
making her uncomfortable
sojourn
nestling among my
sinews my bones
where that one and that one
is all things
to all men
and that too-quiet
lonely voice calls out
yet unheard
hear me!
let me out....
I cannot.

c. 1980 Rita Rosenfeld
published in Origins, June 1980