THE SEA IS NOT A PEACEFUL PLACE,

 

all spirits of all the long legged

& lipsticked things before me move the current,

and bring him crashing.

i sing to men only until i am sure they are dead.

 

i never told anyone to name my body      anything.

but they’ve called me dangerous since

my first bra.

 

now, i twerk under a cheap black light

&  when a man wants to crash his entire savings into me,

i let him

 

i love free drink

& taking my heels off after work

 

i buy a new top

& paint my nails

 

me,

the other girls,

the ones who work here for a few months

& the ones who will work here for a few years,

we leave lipstick stains,

& old joints,

in the corner of the changing room,

 

 

for our shifts, we post up

half naked

& laughing

always, laughing

 

listen,

i love his bank account

& his friend’s too

but,

every night i am just trying to survive,

but i guess i be

slut

whore

siren

any name you can give to something a man will kill himself chasing

 

 

& aint i monster for taking from men as much as they do from me

listen,

 all i ever did was move in a way he liked

there was never any song, he made that up

i laid on the shore

or maybe

i stretched out on a rock in the sun

i never told any man to crash his boat into anything but here i am

all i ever did was dance

& if he would’ve kept his eyes to himself

he would’ve seen the rocks