Alternate Galatea – Amelia Gorman
Welding Galatea:
tonguing hot seams of metal
like it was the earth itself
the artist sparks at rim and bumper
she kisses her creation through a mask
and they do that old old dance
of turning in from the cold to love
something even if that something is
bright steel while even unpolished
shows a little bit of her reflection
Sewing Galatea:
her seams are softer, her arms
lined with fleece to be easier
to slip inside, stitched
together with commas and sighs
apologizing for every accidental
spike of the needle, her dress
flows over her so smooth it may
as well be part of the draping, it is
skin as smooth and rare as silk
Carving Galatea:
palms slippery with desire
difficult to love a woman in this small town
even to love the idea of a woman
all while judged for ribbons by a panel
of elders saying no, the nose
you love is wrong, you have to freeze
the butter before you carve it,
the hair is alright all while before them
love is melting melti ng
Folding Galatea:
mountain and valley, creased peaks
around her eyes this is a lived love
and not a new one
the artist worries she’ll catch fire
worries she’ll tear, fears some
of the folds are too deep
and others not deep enough
but the base is strong and the paper
whispers and rustles in the wind
Amelia Gorman is a recent transplant to the Pacific Northwest where she enjoys exploring tidepools with her dogs, writing, and reading about monsters. You can find her online at @gorman_ghast and read her poetry in Vastarien and Nonbinary Review and her recent sea-monster fiction in Sharp & Sugar Tooth from Upper Rubber Boot Books.