BIO
Lee Upton is the author of a novella, two short story collections, and volumes of poetry, literary criticism, and essays. Her poetry has appeared in numerous anthologies, in three editions of The Best American Poetry, and in The New Yorker, The New Republic, American Poetry Review, The Atlantic, and other magazines. She is the Francis A. March Professor of English and Writer-in-Residence at Lafayette College.
Doll
After Ovid
His flesh wife used to take care of every boring task
So sad how she wasn’t up to it now
Not while
he was in the forefront of a revolution
touching the future—
not while
his new wife blushed
out of every other
part of her made of plush
So what was his actual wife to do?
Oh gods, his flesh wife began
her invocation:
Give me back the time I wasted
Let me understand
a man’s sex doll is not a personal affront
but a labor-saving device (for me)
And while taking pity on my husband’s hardware
let me tour islands with my best friends
who are made of mortal flesh, as am I,
and thus capable of enjoying ourselves
unlike that sex doll my husband thinks is so special
and is not even one of a kind
and comes with a warranty
that doesn’t cover parts
Let my divorce be swift and not costly to my estate
and never let me be
so forgiving as to forget
the grave insult I have endured
Oh gods, do not let me
so much as imagine
what goes on between my husband
and that sex doll
I invoke you on this island of winds (my electric fan)
toward which I float for hours on a raft (I’m in bed)
as I witness from a distance the smoking sacrifices (bacon)
and drift past the cliffs (I’m still in bed)
and remember the night of goats (cats)
before my night at the acropolis (Bath & Body Works)
because until my husband made his online purchase
I was, like you, living in an ancient dream
and now I’m not living in that dream anymore
because my husband has devoted himself to
a pneumatic dirigible
Free me, please, to enjoy my vacation
with my girlfriends
Free your daughter who does not want
anymore
to talk about bodies changed into other forms.
*****
