gaze

why is it that we wait
for a lover’s eyes
to pull our beauty
to the surface
where we can see it?

why isn’t
our own gaze
enough to awaken
joy in our form
and substance?

let us be
self-portrait artists
finger-painting
our carnal selves
with appreciation

let us spit out
our doubts
and guzzle instead
the heady concoctions
we are

Cinse Bonino
2021