Breath & Shadow
Spring 2014 - Vol. 11, Issue 2
"Conversation With Frida Kahlo #3"
written by
Lori-Ann Tessier
Frida I said,
you know how important it is
and by god or goddess
shouldn't some body parts
remain sacred?
Yours was ruined by that steel rod
It entered you and came out your chest.
Mine was ruined by a steel scalpel cutting me
right in the groin.
You know how scar tissue pulls
bunches up and anchors down.
Some days I am a flower shut tight.
Yes, she said, I know
but that is why I keep using mine.
Man or woman I don't care!
I just wanted the scars to be caressed with love.
What is it after all?
Flesh and hair.
It is what we make of it
that makes it sacred.
But doesn't it look like
I say, a bleeding wound?
Yes, she says, we've been wounded.
But we go on.
Make your art
and tell the world
it hurts.
Lori-Ann Tessier has been writing poetry for 16 years. Besides being a poet, she works as an educational tutor and volunteers at a homeless shelter, running a play group for the children there. You can see some of her other work at Wordgathering, Diner, and Concrete Wolf.