Catalogue of Self

sharp-curved tools: tendons under skin like
silver wires, spaded palms, nails naturally half-mooned and ringed
and sometimes made up with rouge, tripoli

freckle on right forefinger

long-angled limbs: thin wrists, bird-boned, with
blonde threads below the cursive swerve of elbow, inner joint
jotted with green, red-violet-black under uninked blank

mock-suicide catscratch scar

neck-to-crown: shining fold lines on throat, odd-set jaw, well-rope
on shoulder, chin apologizing for smirk, bold labia, the gapped, serrated teeth, words
and eyes that don't agree on blue or green, but almost

brown streak near left pupil

socket-joint-frame: archer's line meeting in a divot, and down
to a cage, locked somewhat securely, blanketed pale, rising twice, guts stuffed
compactly under that slip, and that set, pink-peaked

dark birthmark on side

shallow mother-scar: slim trail dropping from there, soft, subtly furred
and further, darker, thicker, a resting, sex-smelling thing, folded languidly in
its own shadow, strong enough to shed blood for unchosen chances

petals edged with dark purple

bone-bladed cradle: wandering lightning over milk flesh, silver against its
sloping width, to rest on or strain, and wing-arched feet for escape, or travel, and
more gold stitching on the usual two in a cross-legged X

mismatched but still effective