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Miss De Milo's Fat Shoulders

My acrophobic heart fell 
but somehow leapt 
the crevasse of my throat
at first glimpse 
of her delicate shoulders

these perfect bones
under an exactness of skin

shoulders which 
with a feather 
God himself chiseled 
and could not 
have left to apprentices.  

At that moment she
made Venus seem
unworthy of sculpting

The guile
less fact 
of her smile 
that had never been tugged 
by a fleshly thought 
made her shoulders nymphbare.  

And all I could offer her 
were my worst emotions: 
jealousy of the sun 
that warmed them 
the distance of summer. 

I doubt a prudish thought 
was ever unfilthy 
and found myself wanting 
a sweater 
to cover them 
just so I 
could see it slip
to reveal the subtle skin 
that could not 
be mimicked
in smoothness 
of any stone

Helen's face 
sent Troy to sea but 
leering historians forgot 
her mundane shoulders 

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