women are worth so much;
come with so much
everyone knows the hero
gets the girl, gets the dowry
two donkeys and a goat
and a warm wet place to bury
your sorrow
act now; a hot meal is worth so much
a warm breast: a place to
repair your inner child
and only for the price
of her childhood dreams
Mela Blust’s work has appeared in The Bitter Oleander, The Nassau Review, The Sierra Nevada Review, and many more. Her debut poetry collection, Skeleton Parade, is available with Apep Publications. She is Head Publicist for Animal Heart Press, a contributing editor for Barren Magazine, and a poetry reader for The Rise Up Review. Follow her on Twitter @melablust.
