before, we were all girls. then it changed.
then there was Eve. then there was Madonna.

heaven help me. then there was shame, torn blue
robes. how old were you when you lost your body?

when you knew it was not your own to name?
we tried Alice, Dorothy, Lolita. we tried boy-child.

some were thrown bare-chested. some were thrown
on a wheel. we tried Catherine. we tried manhood.

do you remember running naked in the long grass?
do you remember when it rained, thinking it rained

all over the world? kiss me baby. when we were girls
we were very small. then we became bigger than ever.

we became larger than life. standing in the storm
in a ripped tuxedo, standing on hot sand in cleaved gowns.

can you remember which ribs are false?
which ones are true?