she told me i looked exactly three years younger
the day i turned eighteen,
but she was never good at math.

she – who was a woman first –
told me growing up is all about
learning to sync your pussy
with the rest of your body
& then noted how
i hadn’t got my blood
on my birthday.

i know she meant it kindly,

& still i did not spit that night
just to prove her wrong.

 

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Clara Paiva is a writer and musician from São Paulo, Brazil.