Adam G Chambers

A FACE MADE OF LIPS

I was commanded in the dream to construct a face out of lips.
I could use lips from famous actors only

so that Johnny Depp’s with their taut lines became the cheekbones
and Michelle Pfeiffer’s with their fullness

served as the fatty parts of cheeks.
Eyes were formed by the firm, proud lips of Anthony Hopkins

and the nose with Denzel Washington’s.
The forehead was made up of the flattened,

hard-working lips of John Turturro, which bent
to the task as oxen to the plow. And the mouth—

the mouth itself was a singular construction.
Where the face was made of lips,

the mouth was made of an entire face,
and the face was that of my childhood

molester. A gaping hole formed a small sea
in the middle of that face

and next to the sea was an object,
either penis or pistol,

lying heartbroken upon its shore.

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Adam G. Chambers received the Thomas Lux Prize for Poetry in 2010. His work has appeared in The Dirty Napkin, The Cortland Review, Bluestem, Eclectica, 2River View, Foliate Oak, Alba, The Fiddleback and The Antigonish Review, and was the recipient of an International Merit Award from The Atlanta Review in 2010. Adam was also nominated for the anthology Best New Poets in both 2010 and 2011. He lives with his family in Connecticut.