They're sexy
because they're needy,
which degrades them.
They're sexy because
they don't need you.
They're sexy because they pretend
not to need you,
but they're lying,
which degrades them.
They're beneath you
and it's hot.
They're across the border,
rhymes with dancer --
they don't need
to understand.
They're content to be
(not mean),
which degrades them
and is sweet.
They want to be
the thing-in-itself
and the thing-for-you —
Miss Thing —
but can't.
They want to be you,
but can't,
which is so hot.
From Money Shot by. Copyright 2011 by Rae Armantrout. Excerpted by permission of the publisher, Wesleyan University Press
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDM3NjYwMjA5MDE1MjA1MzQ1NDk1N2ZmZQ004))
