My Victoria’s Secret Barbie Dreamhouse

Poetry by Rachel Eubanks 

A soft pink and even softer cotton pajama pant drawstring:
I coil it tight, between my fingers–

Until it looks like fuzzy bubble gum tape
Or small intestines twisted in Parma Rosa

Or breast cancer squeezed into a thumbprint
Or the flat stump of an oak I scarred with initials

Or “LVOE ME” misspelled on tart heart-shaped candies
Or towels stained with firetruck-red streaks when she dries her hair

Or the Milky Way collapsing through rose-colored glasses
Or hyperventilating in Sex and Sexuality in the city library–

When I pull it straight,
I unwind every sentence ever written.

About the Author:

Rachel Eubanks is a junior at the University of South Carolina Aiken majoring in English and Psychology. She works at her university’s Writing Center and is President of the Neuroscience Club.

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