li 力
in Chinese,
turned up-
side down
jackknifes into
the romanized
number four,
or death.
I used
to be
a romantic,
I used
a marker
to write on my wrist
the way
J
thinks we
cannot see
the smears
her magic
markers leave
behind
when she tries
shortcuts to
cut lines
on her legs.
She knights herself
without blade, 刀
draws on
a Cupid’s bow
some braver source
to mark her growth
in lieu of new scars.
When what is ruined turns
white, the runes will be
visited. Our resident Aztec
doctor,
priest &
calendar-maker
derives her own
number 四 for
a suicide
hotline—
orange, hot
lines to call forth
power.
Author’s Note:
The three characters used in this poem are 力, or li, for power, 刀, or dao, for sword/blade, and the number 四, or four, is pronounced the same as the Chinese character for death.
Image Credit: Power Switches, Ralph Steiner / The Met.
