that place in you where
your mother stuck the butcher knife, where
you learned to put the receipts from
all the wants you bought that
broke in your hands. that place
where you can’t feel the holes open
when walking on nails, where you
can keep your eyes pried open and dry
to let mama get a clean slice. dear, set
the table, the roast is crisp and
steaming. tonight
we’re feasting on a
human heart.

Rowan Tate is a Romanian creative and curator of beauty. She reads nonfiction nature books, the backs of shampoo bottles, and sometimes minds.