Breasts
by Michelle Brown

Boy scouts tie expert knots
from clavicle to lumbar,
from vertebrae to shoulder,
with sharp, nimble fingers.
Done with their task they sit;
they are sitting like totems.
They are glowering like omens,
darkened heads hanging low.
They're tired from their play,
and I swing them in hammocks.
While they cry they are famished,
my shoulders bend from their weight.
Fat selves sit on my chest,
make me more mother than girl.
Hanging by ropy knots,
make me more wet-nurse than whore.

Michelle Brown is a third-year at New College with a strong affinity for boys and cheese. Michelle plans to attend a prestigious grad school after serving in Americorps for two years.  Her ultimate goal is to be the Dorothia Dix of the educational system.