It fidgets
forever restless, migrating through me
by the minute, blooming like a bruise beneath my skin
from a fall I don’t remember taking,
its tendrils tickling
as it scrapes away the subcutaneous layer—
It grows
in my stomach like a watermelon
from a seed I don’t remember swallowing,
my chest is hollowing, if I tap
the points of my breasts
the echo bounces back—
It stretches
my spine like a rubber band
twisted taut, pinched between the pelvis
and the neck, quivering as every breath
builds up to the inevitable snap—
It sits
W-style, hips twisted and kneecaps packed,
sliding silver rings from one finger to the next,
shining fingernails with sweat,
residing rent-free inside me even as it defiles me,
defies me—defines me? pries me, prizes me,
revises me, reviles me,
relies on me.

Glenn Falacienski is a student at Colorado College. Their work has appeared in publications including Blue Marble Review, HNDL Mag, and YOGURT Culture Zine. They can also hula-hoop and read at the same time.