Two Poems by Elisabeth Horan
Pelado
1940
Muy, muy, pero muy
Masculina
So you don’t think you will
Get to touch a woman anymore
You can lick a moustache
Touch my testicles
Fondle this traje estupido
Lo que antes gustaba
Lo hypersexual me hiciste
Lo manacle de la selva
Tehuana vestida, mi cuerpo
De calas blancas; ahora como basura
Pesada, pero liberada;
Corona de cárcel; mucho más
Caballero que tú -
Fat old thing keep painting
Mujeres con cabello largo
Son más femeninas que yo
Mira como serpientes vienen a mi---
Covering the floor like
All the men’s fingers
Mejores Amigas
1939
Shunt shunt
Shut the fuck up
Stitch snip
Make a monster
Out of my heart
The blood fluent
In loss - in losing
It’s man; the only thing
It knew, was how
To be happy wearing
Legs which didn’t work
And a spine made of metal
Little paloma grows wings
Out of a dress of white
Flies inside the mouth
Of a friend
Makes a muscular nest
Eats red, creates
A new woman
Who is more perfect for you.
Elisabeth Horan is an imperfect creature from Vermont advocating for animals, children and those suffering alone and in pain - especially those ostracized by disability and mental illness. She is a regular contributor at TERSE. Journal, Rhythm & Bones, Mohave He(art), Milk + Beans, and Feminine Collective. Elisabeth received a 2018 Best of the Net Nomination from Midnight Lane Boutique and has an MFA in Poetry from Lindenwood University. Follow her @ehoranpoet & ehoranpoet.com