by Sibelan Forrester
Now that I am an initiate
I see it everywhere, the glossy
triangular eyes of its young
leer at me from every garden
and roadside in recognition.
All these years I didn't know
what might be out there to get me,
but now wherever I walk I keep
an eye out for that glossy leaf
and tendril, lurking at the edge
of the lawn, the soft touch
and proof of my angry imperfection.
I somehow got poison ivy or sumac about 10 days ago and am still breaking out and miserable. It feels as though I will always be "marked" and my body will always have these red blotches to prove it. I hope they go away and do not scar. I am so itchy, so tired of looking splotchy, it's embarrassing. Can I just say that I hate poison ivy?...
