by Charity Anastasio
The vampire squid—
who looks like an octopus
with a luscious red skirt—
will curl her lower body
up around her whole self
at the slightest touch
To scientists, she looks like
she is protecting herself
hiding her bluest eyes
and pretending to be a spiky ball
to me she looks like she is trying to fuck
rolling everything back and exposing
a vulnerable little hole to pluck and suck
The vampire squid
is a very sexy deep-water beast
the most gorgeous of reds
the most dreamy of sea dancers
undulating to and fro for the cameras
splaying long, hungry arms
to catch her prey up and feel about
She looks to me like a creature of lust
like a vixen who could never grasp
the meaning of monogamous
of restraint and honor and responsibility
and life
she looks down right devilish, forsaken,
decidedly loose
yet she is so, so alluring, I cannot
help but watch
If she was human
on this plane
I could imagine someone
making a film about
chaining her to a radiator
to teach her some manners,
(or self respect,
depending on how you look at it)
what does it say about me, that I
wished someone had chained me up?
Charity Anastasio has a day job is in legal and moonlights as a poet. Charity has been published in Bricolage and Sad Girls Club. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland with her family, and lives for those moments of overwhelming joy.