Victoria Lim (b. 1989)
SELECTED POEMS
Well I Can Still Have Babies For Now
I can feel the
knot under my skin.
Seriously. Right
here. Stitches holding
me together while I knit
myself shut
again. I. Me
doing this
unconsciously?
Do you believe
in thinking yourself
well, whole. All I think of
are oysters. Not until
the doctor says I
can handle death
threats again.
My body feels
like an animal dragged
to water’s edge. Sweat
keeps pooling where
I’ve deflated.
Even when I can sit up again
I’m lopsided now.
All to be done is coax me
into stillness,
promises of sleep, dissolving
stitches and wrapped warm.
All I want is salt
coating the back of my throat.
Your tongue laid flat
on my palm. Here, puppy.
Lie down, be whole.
by Victoria Lim
first published in SingPoWriMo 2017: The Anthology (2017)
