Godland: Sammie Jo

Sammie Jo don’t talk much.
Her mother like to cut out her tongue
any time she speaks up.
A bone outta socket.
As big as the couch she sits on;
you could fluff her like a piller.
At eighteen, her face is oldest stone.
That couch become her throne, this
country her kingdom- she lords it over
with mute condescension.
At eighteen, her breasts roll like hills
and her hair is everywhere.

___

The featured image accompanying this poem, entitled ‘Blush’, has been used with the permission of artist Lois Van Baarle.

Robert Eric Shoemaker

Robert Eric Shoemaker is a poet, playwright, and journalist in Chicago. His work is published with the Chicago After Dark Anthology and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. For more info, visit reshoemaker.com.

Get the Most Recent Stories from Rollick

A weekly newsletter featuring new and emerging writers.

More from Rollick

The Lives of Invisible People

In the coffee shop watching all the invisible people. The Chinese cellist reading aloud without a sound, the two men nearby trying to flirt inconspicuously,

The Beach

The city centre fast food restaurant, part of a chain known across the world, was empty when the young couple entered. They paused to survey

Lichtenberg Figures

The skin is the largest organ of the human body. It insulates and protects. It contains all we are. Fluids, muscles, tissues and bones, shuddering