by Clara Rempe
The Jewelry I Wear
I was dazzled when you draped me in chains
Of course I didn’t notice at first
The glimmer was blinding
I confused possession
With feeling feminine
You first decorated my ears
And oh the beauty of those little stars
Softening the edges of your mouth
Then you cuffed my wrists
The twinkling of red and white diamonds
Drawing my eyes away from your smoky smile
Then you wrapped my neck
In tendrils of silver and leaves of gold
Exposing fragile flesh and bone
When I finally noticed you’d enslaved me
It was too late and I too weak
To unclasp each claw sunk in my skin
When you shrugged
I collapsed
If you’d known what an insult
After each pretty breath is plucked
About the photographer: Gwendolyn Joyce Mintz is a writer and photographer. Her work has appeared in various journals and anthologies. She is the author of two fiction chapbooks and a former news writer and assistant English professor. Find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @gwjomi.
Marvelous works, these. The slow, unsuspecting seductive conquest related in the jewelry poem is masterfully handled, in my opinion. My hat’s off. Salute!