Poetry by A.E. Vogt : Confession

Confession

I.
Eager above my collarbone, a spill or a chance to see beneath
The wine you poured was a bold red
Neither soap nor saltwater could separate the color from my chest

II.
Your hand shrinks away – needs shelter, a smooth place to land
Your gaze needs to be coddled, catered to
I play with blades until it’s safe to approach
A censored truth, sandpapered into silence
Designed to keep your unworked fingers safe 
From the wilderness of my nature

III.
Afraid to wander past the linen of your mother’s apron
You deny these constellations
Choosing the buttermilk cheeks painted with poison

IV.
Your hands on my shoulders never leave me
My lungs are still swollen with defiance
I was my own liability but my throat never betrayed me

V.
The reasons are bookmarked on my body
You know each one as well as I do
Ask my wrists: they no longer know you
My skin has not fallen mute – it has unlearned your name

VI.
I’ve decided to keep it all for myself
Test your strength against this coat of skin
I wove it beneath storms stronger than this one

VII.
I still haven’t seen proof of the power you claim I have
I lay shackled and silenced
You stand over me, a false Lazarus arising 
As if I had not been cowering all along

VIII.
Even as it lays in slices at my feet
The singed hair burns my eyes
I should’ve known that home wasn’t safe 
As long as the hatchet lay unearthed

IX.
The earth wraps her roots around my ankles to keep me 
Upright long enough to look you in the eye
To utter the words that will justify the spike and flame
It trickles out between bloodied lips
I am guilty only of searching for a saint 
In a sinner’s shadow

Author’s Note:

This poem is a response to the piece “9 Ways to Tell If a Woman Was a Witch” by Dell Richards from the book Lesbian Lists: A Look at Lesbian Culture, History, and Personalities. 

1. DISCOVERY OF A WITCH’S MARK.
2. ABNORMAL BODY HAIR FOR A FEMALE.
3. WARTS OR MOLES.
4. FAILURE TO SINK WHEN IMMERSED IN WATER.
5. HAVING “DEAD SPOTS”.
6. FAILURE TO BLEED.
7. RECOVERY OF THE WITCH’S PRESUMED VICTIM IF THE WITCH WAS THREATENED OR “DEFIED”.
8. RECOVERY OF VICTIM IF THE WITCH HAD BEEN SCRATCHED OR PROPERTY SUCH AS HER HOME OR THATCHED HUT WAS BURNT TO THE GROUND.
9. CONFESSION

Richards, Dell (1990). Lesbian Lists: A Look at Lesbian Culture, History, and Personalities. Alyson Publications.