A senior year’s for facing fear — debate
is offered, first time, as an elective,
the coach. more mother/detective mutates
you, English junior honors speeches with
commands: posture, eyes. She tries to teach you:
prepare, schoolgrounds, practice, pretend, defend
your body with facts, mouth. Some kids seem to
listen — so maybe him. You could transcend
a fate, female — some freight he’ll ship
to Provo – one school you’re allowed to go.
You still haven’t learned to say no. Guilt trips,
research, note card defense, inane ammo.
There isn’t any argument he’ll hear.
He wants you wedding veiled and disappeared.
Kristin Garth is a kneesock enthusiast and a Best of the Net nominated sonnet stalker. Her poetry has stalked magazines like Glass, Yes, Five:2: One, Anti-Heroin Chic, Former Cactus, Occulum, Luna Luna, & many more. She has a chapbook Pink Plastic House (Maverick Duck Press), two forthcoming: Pensacola Girls (Bone & Ink Press, Sept 2018) and Shakespeare for Sociopaths (The Hedgehog Poetry Press Jan 2019). Her full length, Candy Cigarette, is forthcoming April 2019 (The Hedgehog Poetry Press). She’s currently working on a poetic collection entitled Puritan U. Follow her on Twitter: (@lolaandjolie), her weekly poetry column (https://www.rhythmnbone.com/
