Ramona Itule-Patigian
Mock Fish
The porcelain lip would make me bite through
holding onto the ledge, jump and repeat
When it's so hot, changing
into the bathing suit is the worst
peeling the sweaty cotton skin off
in trade for the tight, lycra of mock fish
Changing in my friend's Grandma's bathroom
I could already smell the pool that
would later fill with my blood and leave a scar
like a tiny coin slot in my mouth
In that gap just before realization
people screamed and scattered
while I watched the bright, shocking
stream spread out like a rose blooming into a skirt
Bio
Ramona Itule-Patigian lives in Berkeley, California with her boyfriend and cat. She recently received her MFA from Mills College and loves live music. Her work has appeared in Boston Literary Magazine, Quantum Poetry Magazine and is forthcoming in Triggerfish Critical Review.