I wake every morning
to pain in my sides
from the corset I wear
to move my organs
and make me the perfect woman
I've done it since I was fourteen.

I propel my tired body around the town
every afternoon
with the cramping in my stomach
assuring myself
that the heat of the sun
and the sweat on my face
and the walking
will all pay off someday

And I swig alcohol at night
suck in smoke
so that I can sit in half lit rooms
with my fake body
and my aching womb
and act like I'm dancing on a cliff

so that you
can have something
to believe in
a paragon
to invest in.