Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Frieda Hughes

breasts

breasts

breasts

Scarred beneath their bags
Of heavy silicone,
They were mountains,
Shored up and sharpened,
A handful of the mind’s mud
At a time. Those breasts

Weren’t for a limp sweater,
Or a bra size more than
Two saucers. Those breasts
Had purpose. Men’s eyes
Would unpage magazines
For a sight of them.

Melissa was no longer
Required to speak.
Her breasts could talk.
They had a language
And everyone
Understood.

When at last she made the photo shoot,
She gently placed her breasts
Of shiny plastic flesh
Upon the table for
The cameraman,
And left.
Close

breasts

Scarred beneath their bags
Of heavy silicone,
They were mountains,
Shored up and sharpened,
A handful of the mind’s mud
At a time. Those breasts

Weren’t for a limp sweater,
Or a bra size more than
Two saucers. Those breasts
Had purpose. Men’s eyes
Would unpage magazines
For a sight of them.

Melissa was no longer
Required to speak.
Her breasts could talk.
They had a language
And everyone
Understood.

When at last she made the photo shoot,
She gently placed her breasts
Of shiny plastic flesh
Upon the table for
The cameraman,
And left.

breasts

Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère