“Questions for the Angel Gabriel II” by Anna Hundert
and another thing:
are the pink lumps of flesh inside
me divine, the strange alien bones
and the red meat of the almost
living, my legs grow weak from the
weight and I want to know if I can
still say no, could I have ever, was it
ever a question of wanting. my
lover wanted me once, before
I became an otherworldly womb
pressing against a fragile pelvis and
mortal skin. I have begun to bite
my nails, did you know, the anxiety
of the eternal Yes, the cruelty of
the smell of lamb over a fire, it
never bothered me before. tell me:
will the purple veins emerging from
my thighs become purple ribbons
of royal vestments, can any prayers
lift my swollen breasts, will I
thin down enough so that my
lover will be able to lift
me off of our bed and make love
to me in the air. legs around his
waist, arms around his back. he
stays but he never looks at me that
way these days. have you ever been
looked at that way, could you
ever even guess, ever even
imagine.
____________________
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Anna Hundert Artist Statement:
Anna Hundert studies Classics and Literary Arts at Brown University. In addition to
being a reader and a writer, she is a fiercely liberal feminist (defined as intersectional and
trans-inclusive feminism) and a religious Christian. She grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio
and attended the public schools there. Her written work (fiction, nonfiction, and poetry)
has appeared in Slippery Elm, The Round, Post-, Cornerstone, Semanteme, and The Fiske
Guide’s College Essays That Work.
