This week we are showcasing poems by Amy Gerstler from her new book INDEX OF WOMEN (Penguin). Three poems will appear, each at 10 AM, in honor of the college course catalogue's "MWF at 10:00 AM." Today's poem is "My Ego."-- DL
My Ego
is a dented suit of armor, a designer gown
with grimy lining. She's the cause of false beliefs.
She fucks up my ability to love. She's prickly
and tender as an artichoke heart. She proposes
to me so frequently I can't hear other people
speak. She's a self-annointed guide who materializes
at my side with a flourish of trumpets and a bullhorn.
She's a forged love letter, a jailer impersonating a
friend. She's a series of flashbacks in which I'm
both victim and hero. I try to bribe her into exile,
but she calls herself my servant and falls weeping
at my feet. I'm forever banishing her, this mistress
of disguises, even as she clamors back into my lap,
begging my pardon and getting all kissy with me,
grabbing my hand and jamming it down her blouse.
from Index of Women by Amy Gerstler (Penguin).
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