by Jennifer McKeen Rodrigues

Ode to shrapnel
Ode to beauty scars
To canker sores

Ode to pock marks
And stubble

Ode to side-burns
Growing too long
Yellowing at the gums

Ode to wiry grey hair
And flabby arms

Ode to chipped nails
To hair in ears
And bushy brows

Ode to what displeases
The aesthetic senses

Ode to living as
A middle finger to
The society of dreamers

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Jennifer McKeen Rodrigues currently lives on the sacred Powhatan land of Fairfax, VA. She is trained as a certified yoga therapist & trauma informed yoga teacher, is a queer & neurodivergent military spouse, & mom. She has been featured in many lovely literary journals & anthologies, & has been nominated for Best of the Net with her photography. Find her on Insta @gmoneyfunklove.

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