Six Sixes by Belinda Subraman
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CONTENTS Guest, I Guess …… 5 Floating Self …… 6 My Life Six Inches Deep …… 7 Coin Belt …… 8 Thinking of Snow …… 9 Hippy Instructions …… 10 About the Author …… 11
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Guest, I Guess The mosaic mannequin I made six years ago stands in a corner in the guest room. No, it’s not me‌ or maybe it is, in my imagination. Her flat tummy is held in by a Moroccan coin belt. Largely she is covered in different shades of blue tile and stained glass. Her crotch is laid with orange, red and yellow tones with a narrow funnel of heat rising to her breasts. Her nipples are red hot sequins though overall she is very cool.
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Floating Self A confused friend once painted a picture of me. I was silver with black accents. My eyes were closed and my feet tucked under me on a green cushion. Symbols of atoms hovered all around me in the stars. I was floating in space. She was very high when she made this.
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My Life Six Inches Deep My tall thin bookcase always fits between the closet and doorway of anywhere I live. On the first self is a sari-clad book written by my first husband, dedicated to me before we met. (Yes, he was passionate… about becoming a citizen.) On other shelves books declare themselves: “Not made of Glass,” “The Moon is Always Female,” and “The Enlightened Mind.” “Maybe You Should Write a Book” sits next to a Bible. “The Joy of Sects” is next to a Koran and several books “for Dummies” I still don’t understand.
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Coin Belt My belly dancing belt is retired, hanging above the closet door. The coins are exotic and from many lands. At face value the coins may be worth six dollars but the belt is worth hundreds. It was once flashy shining gold. It draped a body scantily clad. Bells hang from the bottom as if the jingle of coins was not enough.
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Thinking of Snow It is a warning not to drive if at all possible. It is something to dress the trees. It’s a fine powder that dusts the ground and cleans itself when warmed. It can be dessert with milk, sugar and vanilla. It descends from the sky as we watch in awe. It is weather we can hold.
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Hippy Instructions Buy at least four different colored and shaped light bulbs. Keep the wattage low. Get neon if you can find them. Take a fanlight and remove the bulbs. Replace with your new collection. Turn on both the light and fan and feel your coolness.
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About the Author
Belinda Subraman has traveled in over 20 countries, lived in Europe for 6 years, and was part of an East Indian family for 22 years. Since 2005, she’s been hosting The Gypsy Art Show, which features interviews with poets, authors, musicians and activists. belindasubraman.com belinda_subraman.podomatic.com
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