Poetry 2017 Featured Poet Amika Sethia

dollhouse///
amika sethia

a sniff, a sip
they are taken aback by the wry bitterness of tea
a shot of almond milk spilled,
effervescences exposed.
the last departing
tips the glass;
floods the creamy liquid
bleaching her white, colorless, see-through.
birthed in a museum,
she was brought up with china and
a requisite to play fair.
menacing rhapsodies wrestle for-
who will raise her corsets and hair?
they stitched us in frills and satin, we
withstanding a glance at our fellow opponents.
only cracked glass placed
to protect little girls from themselves.
sleep in your bedded cage, young one
whilst I cast a spell of lemon and greened chilli flakes.