Response to reading “Little Bee” by Chris Cleave
When “Little Bee” enters a room
She always forms a plan
The best way to kill herself
Should the men come suddenly
That’s how loving me is
That’s the only way I can describe it
The only comparison I can make
I craft escape plans
Just in case I’m a tad too stormy
Unaffected by his summers
Just in case my young organ
Doesn’t drum, rapid and uneven
To the rhythm he’s expecting
Just in case his caustic intensity
Burns shackles ‘round my wrists
Just in case he slices a machete
Through my ring finger
Or sexualizes my right hand
Just in case I’m the exact shade
Of hollow death he’s been seeking
I can run
I can fight
I can kill
Should the men come suddenly
Lannie Stabile, a Detroiter, likens the process of creative writing to spanking ketchup: grueling, but necessary. She has twice been invited to perform her poetry at Ann Arbor OUTFest, and in her leisure, can be seen at open mics in the area. More works can be found, or are forthcoming, in The Hellebore, Cauldron Anthology, Monstering, Kissing Dynamite, and more. She is penning a novel and chapbook, and recently became Project Manager of Barren Magazine.
Twitter handle: @LanniePenland
