a projection screen,
the woman herself, invisible

vamp, vixen, dominatrix,
a cock tease

Mommy, nurse with kisses,
Band-Aids, chocolate chip cookies

therapist with answers,
a quick fix

Madonna, church-sanctified mother,
barefoot and pregnant

muse, inspiration, fantasy,
secret dream

Daddy, cruel, domineering
with rules and ridicule

independent, emasculating
bitch, warrior, survivor

slipping through mirrored
shards, shimmering,

to say, “No, no. That’s you.
This. This. Is me.”