(as if that could contain her).
Not a toy, Okaasan said. Kiyohime: who thrilled
in my imagination
when she danced—six hats
cascading from her hand
transforming
from silk and gold brocade to
scales that snaked
around flirtations
when I pillowed dragon’s fire
when I painted face in oyster shell
becoming ghastly
when monked by stupid boys who didn’t
love me.
Kathleen Hellen is the recipient of the James Still Award, the Thomas Merton Prize for Poetry of the Sacred, and prizes from the H.O.W. Journal and Washington Square Review. Her debut collection Umberto’s Night won the poetry prize from Washington Writers’ Publishing House. She is the author of The Only Country Was the Color of My Skin, Meet Me at the Bottom, and two chapbooks.
