freak book

freak book

my uncle had books
of curiosities
hidden among the standards
between Shakespeare and Whitman
these tall volumes like oversized comic books
full of photos.

on visits
i would dig them out.
they were far more educational
than the classics:
multiple piercings
full body tattoos
political ideas
suggestive practices.

freaks.
a sideshow
in that sunlit midwestern living room.
run away and join our circus,
they said,
your beard will grow,
you’ll learn the trapeze.

i found out which volume
i belonged in,
chewing my lip
on the braided rug.
i fit right there
in between the tattooed girl
and the fire eater.

i grew up to be both
a tattooed girl
and a fire eater.
posted in a dark
seething city intersection
swallowing the flame
leaving the night
completely
black.