“I Must Confess” by Courtney Mason

I must confess

shirtless  in a sports bra, my only support as i walk, skin exposed to sun and above

jesus     shining rays of hope ushers me forward to a hot meal / if the spanish waiter

turns    slowly and gently asks my name, i will tell him i am the virgin / come to

me    / raise the dead / say my name five times at midnight into a mirror that reflects

on    your face the shadow of my godless wrath / mouth, gagged / wrists leather bound

I wish I didn’t think such things. But I do. And because of this

i   don’t plan ahead / men dream of spontaneous women like me in their dating profiles

caught    with fascination by the fantasy of an independent woman / hiking alone

on fire   my feet are bubbles of skin rubbed raw over 200km with endless fields ahead /

inside albergues on plastic sheets, can the sound of my wet fingers be disguised? tomorrow at

church     i will seduce a Norwegian pilgrim / ice eyes spread over my body in the confessional

Courtney Mason

Courtney Mason is a poet, writer, and civil engineer, living on Kaurna land in south Australia. She once tried to walk the Camino de Santiago. Her website is www.courtney-mason.com.

Headshot: Courtney Mason

Photo Credit: Staff