Poetry: Two Poems by Aja St. Germaine
how to be kwe
when surgeon unzips epidermis to reveal rotting
feminine flesh vacated feign consternation
bat butch eyelashes eroticize me
at my unbecoming she demands woman
to suckle leave her to starve
shouts what about breastfeeding babies
kwe is the matriarch feeds her family
provide consequences of motherhood
stick cookie cutter nipples on my chest
like lisa frank rejects doctor
render me useless in holographic
she-devil of starving the hypothetical
lick pasties like stamps scrapbook them stick
grafts on supple tender skin with tacky hot glue
crochet my intercostal nerves in floral pattern
cross stitch connective tissue to ribcage
will you still call me kwe
cross stitch connective tissue to ribcage
crochet my intercostal nerves in floral pattern
grafts on supple tender skin with tacky hot glue
lick pasties like stamps scrapbook them stick
she-devil of starving the hypothetical
render me useless in holographic
like lisa frank rejects doctor
stick cookie cutter nipples on my chest
provide consequences of motherhood
kwe is the matriarch feeds her family
shouts what about breastfeeding babies
to suckle leave her to starve
at my unbecoming she demands woman
bat butch eyelashes eroticize me
feminine flesh vacated feign consternation
when surgeon unzips epidermis to reveal rotting
About Aja St. Germaine
Aja St. Germaine (they/them) is a genderqueer butch interested in queer decolonial liberation through literary praxis. They graduated magna cum laude in May of 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Critical Studies English and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where they served as the editor of the university’s queer student-led zine, OUT., and student-edited Dr. Debra Barker’s “Post-Indian Aesthetics: Affirming Indigenous Literary Sovereignty” published with Arizona Press in 2022. St. Germaine is a Ronald E. McNair scholar, and was awarded the Kirkwood Formal Poetry Award, Outstanding Queer Student Leader Award, and the Chandra Talpade Mohanty Award by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. They are currently interning for Honey Literary, a 501(c)(3) BIPOC women and femme literary arts organization founded by Dr. Dorothy Chan and Dr. Rita Mookerjee.
Socials:
Instagram: @ajast.germaine
Twitter: @ajastgermaine