Pigtails by Jessica Rivchin Push her back, slap her across the face, So that the heat radiates up your arm Like a tuning fork. Six girls, five bicycles, and you, running after, In the heat. This is why you will always suspect Pretty girls are secretly cruel, Like winter lakes at dusk… I have crossed frozen rivers, Unyielding, rippled ice, Crisscrossed By veins of blue snow. I remember The fever you caught That August day, And how you sloshed in the cool bathtub For hours, Waiting for it to recede. You must have screamed, "Wait!  Wait" a thousand times. You will learn to scream louder… You will not fade backwards Through doorways Like a freezer burn, Or like a cowboy, Blending Into a cardboard sunset. Say something, girl--! Tear your lungs out, Do anything but believe them, It will ruin you. -- -- -- Jessica Rivchin was born in Princeton, New Jersey, and spent most of her childhood moving up and down the East Coast.  After receiving a B.A. from the University of Delaware in 2003, Jessica worked in textbook publishing for a year and then returned to school full-time in the fall of 2004.   She works at the William Paterson Writing Center and is currently the graduate assistant for Writing Across the Curriculum.  She will be receiving her M.A. in English Writing in December of 2005 and hopes to eventually become an English professor. Top | Home

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