Nica Cornell writes boldly on genitalia and the human beings attached to them, expertly engaging both the private and the planetary.
—
Humanity
Genitalia are not good-looking.
Don’t get me wrong – I love my man’s manhood, and my womanhood.
Although those particular terms fit like a T-shirt I wore when I was eight.
Tight and too starched.
I cut my nails too short on a lot of words
but is that what my womanhood looks like?
Pink origami mountains.
Or my man’s manhood
A crayon that’s been smudged round.
I wish I could paint his toenails green
instead of his painting
my eyelids blue.
But that’s humanity,
a belly flop on the pool of life,
and as a feminist
that’s my policy.
I think I’ve chosen delta
as the title
for the folds between my legs
that are something ancient and symbolic
and still fairly weird
and not particularly pretty.
Genitalia aren’t good-looking
but humanity is gorgeous.
***
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Photo by RipleysNiagara /Flickr
Beautiful.