NESTED

imagine
you are nested
in yourself like Russian dolls
this latest one is ‘Kate’ or ‘Cathy’
wild, moorland thing who cracks the
awkward denim-wearer 15 summers old
‘good little girl’, who just the year before had
hardly blinked at dressing up in red, and white and blue

keep going
uncovering these selves
there will be more to be, a dozen
layers — and more — of mad, bad, sad
of lovers, mothers, grievers, artists too
the one who sits here now and tells you this:
‘they’ll stay in you — they’ll surface when you least expect’

do not
discard them
you must love even
the shame-filled infidel
the one who slowly bruised
the precocious bridesmaid: still blonde;
hair set; face stained pink with strawberry juice