Lifted, Carried by Carla Drysdale

A vintage Japanese ivory and wood phallus. An African version of this utensil was rumoured to be a prized possession of the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay.

Lifted, Carried
 
At nine, your son will find
the dildo nestled
in its shiny oblong box
 
underneath the folded winter
pullovers, he will lift it
from its molded plastic bed
 
peer through its rose silicon
skin to the two rings
of marble-sized metal balls
 
which rotate at a button’s press,
he’ll touch the tiny rabbit ears
at the base.
 
At 13, red-faced, brazen,
knowing its purpose now
he’ll confront you
 
you’ll tell him there is no shame.
The body’s hungers for pleasure
demand feeding
 
one way or another.
Still, he will sing out dildo
whenever he thinks of it
 
owning your secrets, just as you,
at nine, discovered her love
letters in her lingerie drawer.
 
Her shame ran wider
than the dirty waves
of Lake Erie licking the shore
 
in those blue and yellow summers
the waves lifted
and carried you swimming.
 
In winter, you climbed up
and over their cold
jagged shapes.           
 
Carla Drysdale

Carla Drysdale is a Canadian poet who resides in France. Her first book of poems, Little Venus, was published by Tightrope and her chapbook, Inheritance, is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press. Her poems have been published in PRISM International, Scapegoat Review, Literary Mama, The Same, LIT, the Literary Review of Canada, Canadian Literature, The Fiddlehead, Global City Review, and others. She was awarded PRISM's Earle Birney poetry prize in 2014. She was recently named a Bettering American Poetry nominee by Zoetic Press for her poem, "What He Said." Her poem, “New Year’s Eve” was set to music by composer David del Tredici and she has collaborated with artist Ken Dubin.