pain my initiation into a religion where the only                          principle of faith was
that this                                                                    fault the frigid lack that unworthed me
was all my body                                                                                                was all my own

 

 

(excerpted from “Dry Needling”)

I’m proud to say that I’ve got three poems in the latest issue of the Screen Door Review. And I’m honored and humbled to say that the editors (to whom I am deeply grateful!) nominated my poem, “Dry Needling,” for a Pushcart Prize. It’s an important poem for me because it talks about an extremely invasive medical procedure many women (ace or otherwise) are given as a “last resort” when there are many, many other successful options for treatment. I wrote it as a reminder to myself and other women that it’s essential to speak openly with your doctors, especially when you’re uncomfortable with an exam or a course of treatment, and to seek other options and opinions.