THERE’S A SPOT OF BLOOD

in the center of our mattress

           it usually blends in with the flowers

when I’m changing the sheets

                  I check to make sure it’s still there

                                                               our sheets too

                  have remnants of that same blood

                  from that same part of my body

                                                       yes, I washed them

he never responds well to my blood          my body

                                                               but I don’t mind it

                                                      my body

                                     or him

I cannot resent what comes from my body

                                                                              or him  

                                        that’s a dangerous road to start down

        hating your gelatins and juices

                        leg hairs, etc.

                                                      of course, I shave them

        tap tap tap

                      the razor against the side of the tub

                                            examine the hairs—how long

                                                                                    they are! how bendable

against my index finger

                              held firmly

                              against my thumb!

                                                 watch how it moves!

                                                                                    in out up down in out

these things take time, you see

but I am learning how to love both

                                        at the same time—

                                                                                   him

                                                                                   & my body.

Micaela Walley is a recent graduate from the University of South Alabama where she majored in Creative Writing. Her work can be found in Oracle Fine Arts Review, Eunoia Review, and Straight Forward Poetry. She currently lives in Hanover, Maryland with her best friend -- Chunky, the cat.