Shame
By Eliza Rosenthale
2020 Winter Showcase Poetry Award Winner
After all those reminders to eat like a lady
A wet slurp from her own mouth
Of her favorite meal, spaghetti,
Is enough to ruin her appetite
When he kisses her neck, she asks him to stop
Not because she doesn’t like it
But the sound of her own heavy breathing
Turns her off
When she listens to Taylor Swift on long drives
She keeps her windows sealed shut
God forbid anyone hear she listens to love songs
In middle school she would unwrap a pink paisley pad
With delicate, slow fingers because God forbid
The crinkle reveal the blush her body brings
She would blush right through the stall door
Just another girl afraid of her own insides
Turning herself inside out
For the convenience of everyone else
Bio:
Eliza Rosenthale is a student in the Rutgers class of 2023, studying Comparative Literature and Creative Writing. She is from Pennington, NJ, and she loves to read, write, paint, and spend time in New Jersey native wildlife. Both her poems, “Shame” and “Green,” were included in the poetry category of the Winter Creativity Showcase.