Literary as hell.

“Letter to the Stepdaughter I Might Have Had,” by Caitlin Johnson

You hate me. I can respect that.

After what your momma did to your daddy–

the lies like frozen honey, too cloudy

to look through–you can’t trust

a woman near him, like you have

an allergic reaction from proximity

alone, no need for a sting.

Darlin’, I’m not squabbling with you

or trying to buzz through your brain,

humming like some kind of queen

bee, asserting my superiority

whenever you enter my hive.

 

Think of him as the flower, me as the winged

creature drawn to his nectar. I worship

the nourishment he gives. Together

we’ll produce what your momma never could:

sugar so pure it melts.

 


Caitlin Johnson holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Lesley University. Her work has appeared in Boston Poetry Magazine, Clare Literary Journal, Eternal Haunted Summer, Fortunates, Momoware, Pembroke Magazine, Vagina: The Zine, and What the Fiction, among other outlets. A chapbook, Boomerang Girl, was published in 2015 by Tiger’s Eye Press, and a full-length collection, Gods in the Wilderness, was published in 2016 by Pink.Girl.Ink. Press.

1 Comment

  1. Tara Griffith

    You’re so amazing!

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