A Serious Piece

“D’you wanna piece of me?”
she said.

Yes I want a piece of you!
I want a piece of buttermilk shoulder
a piece of hip
soft-shelled in black leather
a piece of belly
waving like a flag.

I want a piece of mouthwatering jaw
a piece of neck
from way around back
a piece of collarbone
to savor the wingspan of surrender.

I want long hard pieces
of both lips
a piece of rib cage
(remember the feeling
when I slip it out)
a piece of heart
leaping like a marlin.

I want a piece of what is hidden
a piece of wild eyelid
a piece of each knee
round as baseballs in my hands.

I want a piece of your cry.

I want a piece carved out
and left on me
to dry in the window’s breeze.

Yes I want a piece of you,
the piece you have saved for me.

 

Mather Schneider
Mather Schneider is a cab driver in Tucson who has had work published in the small press since 1996.