Maura Alia Badji’s poem about a sister, a brother, and a jock strap is funny and, in a surprising way, tender.
—
Brotherlove
Sorry I had to be the one
to escort you past
that early signpost of manhood:
The Buying of the Jock.
What guy wants his sister along
when his balls hang in the balance?
But better a sister than a father
who challenges their existence.
So we went.
Through the florescent
gloom of the discount store,
you tried to look tough – nothing in your eyes.
I feigned insouciance.
When the geek behind the counter asked,
What size?, as you glared at me in panic,
what could I say but
Large?
***
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