Kristen E. Nelson is the author of sometimes I gets lost and is grateful for noises in the dark (Dancing Girl, 2017) and Write, Dad (Unthinkable Creatures, 2012); and is a 2016 Pushcart nominee. She has published work in The Feminist Wire, Denver Quarterly, Drunken Boat, Tarpaulin Sky Journal, Trickhouse, and Everyday Genius, among others. Kristen is the founder of Casa Libre, a non-profit writing center in Tucson, Arizona; and the Program Coordinator for the University of Arizona’s Institute for LGBT Studies.
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What Hovers Above the Altar
Above my altar there is a disco ball that throws eyes of light on the wall.
There are peacock feathers: I am not supposed to tell you. I’m not.
Writing about a woman’s body is not relevant or innovative.
Next to my altar water trickles.
Bodies that sit here
Bodies that read
Bodies that stand and bend and hurt