enjoy this writing from Christine Stoddard
in the free 6" x 9" 2017 PDF file chapbook: The Eating Game
(click on the front cover image or the
title text to download the free PDF file)
A Vow
Christine Stoddard
Corsets hug the skeleton tight and
kiss the vertebrae with lace lips.
Flesh is an unwanted obstacle
to love—of fashion, of self.
She fingered a veil
that would enshroud her
so she could cover her body,
rendering even her silhouette
invisible to curious guests.
My neck will not show.
My arms will not show.
My legs will not show.
Divert their gaze with a train
that must be carried
by dozens upon dozens,
and all eyes will ricochet
from the altar to the back
of the chapel but not to you.
With the stilettos, you walk
on stilts, teetering into marriage,
into a new life with a new figure.
I ate my last piece of bread for life
at the rehearsal dinner.
Sneak, munch, relish, and gone.
