By TC Tolbert

Because the only view we have is the one
that looks down on the knees. Praise perspective.
Praise shared disdain. Praise space made by connective
tissue; the synaptic cleft; elbowroom
at the dinner table; polite conversation;
lies you push through your teeth. Because dissecting
a dog's heart won't change the way it thinks. Praise redirected
traffic. Praise the gnarled lip that defends
the gentle bones. Because your mother was
a seahorse. And to think of her thin is
to empty all the ice from the tea glasses;
to strain the soup by driving it through your hand.
Praise tablecloths; sway-back chairs; the plastic
folds that protect slice after slice of cheese.

• Religion

Poet Bio

TC Tolbert is a genderqueer, feminist poet and teacher committed to social justice. S/he believes in working across communities—building bridges wherever possible. Tolbert earned an MFA in Poetry from the University of Arizona and teaches in the low residency MFA program at OSU-Cascades and teaches composition and transgender literature at University of Arizona. Tolbert lives in Tucson. See More By This Poet

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