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by Leeor Margalit
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I acquired infantry unit combat boots
which is pretty damn impressive
and the only blood that will ever touch them
is that of the blisters they cause on the back of my heels
and the only battle they will ever encounter
is the one I have with them every morning,
trying to wiggle my feet in.
I ask my fellow commander what her body count is
and by that I mean
we teach new soldiers every month
how to use an M16
but none of us have ever
ever
killed anyone
I just wondered how many different people she’s made love to.
When I took off the boots
and showed her my bruised and bloody and blistered feet,
she recounted to me her time as a ballerina.
She said that pointe shoes are not nearly so forgiving.
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Leeor Margalit (she/her) is a twenty-three-year-old from southern California currently living in Israel. She served in the Israel Defense Forces as a basic training commander in the Intelligence Corps. Leeor enjoys reading, writing poetry, and photographing her friends. You can find more of her work on Instagram @leeormargalitpoems.
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