Fashion Advice from Acanthaspis Petax

Every woman I know is a cannibal. We covet &
copy the arch of another woman’s brows, pinch

 

cellulite into curves, purchase ungodly amounts
of lotions, creams, potions to veil our bodies’

 

failure to be enough. Acanthaspis petax nymphs
camouflage themselves in corpses to survive the savanna.

 

They wine & dine ants before designing their outerwear,
pour digestive enzymes into their cup with a heavy

 

hand until their tissue dissolves. Nymphs sew the leftover
exoskeleton onto their backs with sticky saliva.

 

My wardrobe spares men the truth of my body, its scars
& stories. No more. Wear your enemies. Cloak your shoulders

 

with their seashell abdomens; manipulate & masticate
thoraxes into tube tops; mandibles jagged as bread

 

knives weave a crown fit for a cannibal queen.