Picture this: the two
of us at a dinner table
again and I, falling back
into my role as ‘victim.’
Fingers curl in my lap
and nails bite into skin.
Picture this: my spark-
laden eyes smothered by
the dirt of your presence.
My knees knock like branches
against window panes
during a storm. You aren’t
even talking to me.
Picture this: an orchid
furling in reverse bloom,
petals sliding over her
eyes. A veined bulb, leaves
curled up in self-defence,
a stem folding in half.
Picture this: roots
shrivelled, earth polluted,
sewer-water rivers. I reach
my arms up to the sky
for rain, but your sun glare
blackens my green.
Picture this: somewhere
there is a room where a father
and daughter finally learned
how to love each other.
This is not that room.
Martina Dominique Dansereau is a disabled, non-binary lesbian writer and artist whose works centre on trauma, marginalisation, and love, particularly as they intersect with gender, disability, mental illness, and LGBT issues. When not entrenched in academia or creating art, xe enjoys reading books with xyr snakes, who often fall asleep between the pages. You can find xem on Twitter and Instagram @herpetologics.