Before an Appeal for 83 Cents
Tara Hollander
Poetry
Listen to what commands you to roll in the mud:
This is what has been denied to you.
Be a bear in the mirror with menacing spittle
flicking from your uncovered teeth.
Stretch the skin around your open mouth
And let the dry flakes lift from your scour.
Raise your arms too. Above your head! Now!
Curl your fingers so they hang.
Your eyes are too narrow, fling your lids open,
Now tighten the muscles
So they shake above your skeleton,
Let your shoulders crack open your ribs,
Fiercely display your boar’s heart,
Root yourself to the follicles of your scalp. Scream!
Scream! Do it––scream!
Feast on the anger of your reflection,
gulp down her guttural decree. Spit in the sink.
Tara Hollander is a poet whose work meditates on gender, sexuality, family, and biology. She is obtaining an MFA in creative writing at American University in Washington, DC. Originally from Washington State, Tara moved to DC with a bachelors in English and Biology from Gonzaga University. For Tara, the personal is political and there is no greater encounter into change than art.
Thank you, committee, for reviewing these poems.