Because a woman is told her opinions are a) atomic bombs; b) a leprosy;
c) a gaggle of shitting geese:

this one wore hers like an inner tube, like 3 inch heels, like red/red lipstick.
His response was:

1. burrito embrace
2. speedy departure
3. unprotected sex

Because a woman tries to change how others perceive her,
she eventually knows only a) catcalls; b) fist; c) her own voice.

She learns she can best be satire, wonders why others are preoccupied
with joy when it is always followed or preceded by a hangover,
doctor, wailing sorrow.

Once, when she dared joy:

1. she broke her credit rating
2. she broke her wrist
3. he broke her rib

so she became a) thumbtack; b) remote control, c) rodeo clown. Or d) none
of the above, a hermit crab in reverse, moving into smaller and smaller:
bedroom shell to bathroom to broom closet to bread box.

She eyes the ant trap next, believes it has everything she needs for

1. colony
2. pandemic
3. escape

She wonders if anyone has been born without a heart or a body,
how any woman can survive without more than one choice.

Cathryn Cofell is an Appleton poet with two full full-length collections including Stick Figure With Skirt, winner of the Main Street Rag Poetry Award, six chapbooks, and a music/poetry CD called Lip. She’s currently Co-President of the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets and PR Maven for the Poetry Unlocked reading series. www.cathryncofell.com