Masking Tape

This is another assignment from class. We were told to write a poem based on an object which other people in class brought in. For this poem we were also told to take inspiration from Slyvia Plath's poem “Mushrooms.”



Masking tape



trapped in junk drawers, supply closets
and worn on teachers wrists like bracelets
when you need cohesion- reach for me

my pale skin is never ending
like plastic
like paper

the smell of childhood
and animal bones
like the rings of a tree
I circle round and round

only slightly jealous
of my sister
lighter
clearer
more sophisticated

with a few loops
I can defy gravity
like spiderman I climb up walls

clumsy hands searching for my end
dig in with nails
and unravel me slowly
to that lovely sound
and I come apart

then tossed aside back into drawers, closets
off of wrists and into the garbage
my work is done, with tact.


Note: My profs notes were, once again, 'great!' and then in reference to the second last paragraph, 'this is suitably sexual...' Um, ok. I actually didn't intend for it to be read that way but I can see how one would. Oh I'm so naive.