Gabby Vachon's "Cured meat"

i think thighs are named after the sound your tongue makes when punctured by your front teeth, or after the forest fires created by the meat of your legs being rubbed together into blistered sparks.

i think bipolar disorder is named after the weight of its pronunciation in your mother’s throat, carved into your family tree like a maple glazed ham at an Italian wedding, cured meats are only cured if let out to dry in a salt bath, slashed into by sun rays that cannot comprehend why their bones are now so sticky to the touch.