Spa Pass
At Spa Montage,
I pass through
I pass.
Buffed
Shined, polished
& perceived.
I pass. My gender
A mirage.
Ladies’ Lounge
Fresh water
Tropical fruit.
In their eyes, I display
As woman, wahine.
Here, binary
Of gender, only
Two rooms.
Invisible in this
Locker.
The only way.
Also, the only way out
To the pool.
Men, women
Lounge,
Sunbathe.
I dive in.
Spy Talk
Truth serum works
Both ways
With someone
Like me.
Really, you seek
The truth.
I learn the truth
About you.
Sodium thiopental
Does wonders
For our little
Heart-to-heart.
But it is faulty
Evidence.
Won’t stand up
In court.
Karen Poppy has work published in numerous literary journals, magazines, and anthologies. Her chapbook, CRACK OPEN/EMERGENCY, is published by Finishing Line Press (2020), and she has another chapbook forthcoming with Finishing Line Press, OUR OWN BEAUTIFUL BRUTALITY (2021). Her chapbook, EVERY POSSIBLE THING, is published by Homestead Lighthouse Press (2020). An attorney licensed in California and Texas, Karen Poppy lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.