Paperwhite

Knobby onion,
crisped edges 
a thin scrim 
around circles 
that cinch 
the center seed 
Matroushka’d 
deep within.

Quiet in water,
until white hair
a Medusa’s head, 
tipped and dowsing,
tangles its snakes,
while thin green legs
bean up in pairs
as the glass holds
their hips, forced.

The burst is sudden, 
a petaled shoe 
kicking off wafts
of civety musk 
so that heads turn, 
not knowing 
from where.

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Elline Lipkin is a poet, academic, and nonfiction writer. Her first book, The Errant Thread, was chosen by Eavan Boland for the Kore Press First Book Award. Her second book, Girls’ Studies, was published by Seal Press and explores contemporary girlhood in America. She is currently a Research Scholar with UCLA’s Center for the Study of Women and also teaches poetry for Writing Workshops Los Angeles.