A Day At The Pool
Anna Nichols Cooksey
I went to the pool one day.
I chose my favorite bathing suit—
a turquoise one-piece with palm trees.
Emma wanted slushies from the 7/11,
so, as always, I tagged along.
As we walked up the road,
two men shouted at us.
“Honey, you know people can see them titties
through that tiny little swimsuit?”
“Oh! Look at that other one!
What a nice piece of ass.”
I had never even shaved my legs;
never shopped for a training bra.
Emma seemed unshaken.
“Don’t listen to them,” she whispered.
She clutched my trembling hand
and pulled me to safety on the other side.
I remember.
His eyes, unraveling the seams of my bathing suit,
unwrapping the towel tightly hinged my waist.
I remember.
He licked his lips. My body was an entree of lamb—
young, tender meat ready to be devoured.
I was twelve.
Anna Nichols Cooksey is a perpetually caffeinated junior pursuing a double major in English and Media Studies. She finds dogs and cats much easier to talk to than humans.
coraddimag.com 