Ode to Peach Fuzz
My mother swings open the window,
inviting the burning noon sun to brighten my face.
she cringes,
as the daylight zooms in for clear view,
— peach fuzz in limelight. These little cousins of beard,
thinner, paler rabbit whorls
Lines of floss hospitably
welcoming the strange stares of pity
and familiar questions of hormone.
O Guardians of my sinned sin!
Like a permanent tattoo of rain,
you have streaked boundaries on my face.
Pile of fibers rooted on my jaw line!
Stubborn missy! How you make me greet
the metal blade and yellow stains of turmeric,
O jealous fluffs of my nape!
Lured by the sizzling kiss of my beloved,
I know you are here to stay,
as I can’t afford a laser now.
Oh! How well you have been snatching
the touch of his lip,
placing his filtered kiss on my skin,
while you carry his aroma—complete.
O tiny thieves, how well you teach me
the art of self.
inviting the burning noon sun to brighten my face.
she cringes,
as the daylight zooms in for clear view,
— peach fuzz in limelight. These little cousins of beard,
thinner, paler rabbit whorls
Lines of floss hospitably
welcoming the strange stares of pity
and familiar questions of hormone.
O Guardians of my sinned sin!
Like a permanent tattoo of rain,
you have streaked boundaries on my face.
Pile of fibers rooted on my jaw line!
Stubborn missy! How you make me greet
the metal blade and yellow stains of turmeric,
O jealous fluffs of my nape!
Lured by the sizzling kiss of my beloved,
I know you are here to stay,
as I can’t afford a laser now.
Oh! How well you have been snatching
the touch of his lip,
placing his filtered kiss on my skin,
while you carry his aroma—complete.
O tiny thieves, how well you teach me
the art of self.
JGeorge (she/her/hers) writes from Pondicherry, India. Her poems appear or are forthcoming in Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review, For Women Who Roar, Literary Shanghai, Mookychick, Fish Food Mag and The Lumiere Review
Art: Summer Dreaming 33, Rina Patel