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WHAT THE WOMB ISN’T — Jessica Lopez

on June 23 | in Poetry | by | with No Comments

         “Feminism is a socialist, anti-family, political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.”

-Pat Robertson, political sphincter

 

 the womb isn’t your cemetery

your fire escape, your sticks

and stones diatribe

 

it isn’t empty swan song or slick-shoed pole dance

 

it isn’t without fire, without magnanimous

thunder roar nor the strength of eggshell around embryo

 

it is all things physics

it is all things holy and unholy

 

the womb

the belly

the mound

the convex and concave

the body song

the abortion

the birth

the afterbirth

murmur congealed

purple and pulsating placenta

 

the womb isn’t your political bastard

your 5 o’ clock news

top story whore

ballot stuffer

wedge issue appetizer plate

 

the womb isn’t

the womb isn’t

the womb isn’t

a third-rate quote

 

it is fire-spark

it is Corn Goddess

Tonatzin, eater

of the good filth

and maker of man

and woman

 

the water-rush of menses

 

it is the last blood kernel

protected by the husk

 
 

NN, headshot, jessica-helen-lopez copy

 

The first Chicana poet to be elected as the Albuquerque City Poet Laureate, Jessica Helen Lopez will hold this tenure from 2014-2016. Recently listed as 30 Poets in their 30’s by MUZZLE magazine, Lopez is a nationally recognized award-winning slam poet, and holds the title of 2012 and 2014 Women of the World (WOW) City of ABQ Champion. She’s also a member of the Macondo Foundation. Founded by Sandra Cisneros, it is an association of socially engaged writers united to advance creativity, foster generosity, and honor community. Her first collection of poetry, Always Messing With Them Boys (West End Press, 2011) made the Southwest Book of the Year reading list and was also awarded the Zia Book Award presented by NM Women Press. Her recent chapbook, Cunt.Bomb. is published by Swimming With Elephants Publication. She is the founder of La Palabra – The Word is a Woman collective created for and by women and gender-identified women. Lopez is a Ted Talk speaker alumni and her talk is entitled, Spoken Word Poetry that Tells HERstory. You may find some of Lopez’s work at these sites –LaPalabra.abqnorthwest.com, thebakerypoetry.com, and asusjournal.org. Her work has been anthologized in A Bigger Boat: The Unlikely Success of the Albuquerque Slam Scene (UNM Press), Earth Ships: A New Mecca Poetry Collection (NM Book Award Finalist), Tandem Lit Slam (San Francisco), Adobe Walls, Malpais Review, SLAB Literary Magazine and the upcoming Courage Anthology: Daring Poems for Gutsy Girls (Write Bloody Press).

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