Press by Kari Teicher

Perss prses psse press it down with a tongue depressor look inside is it healthy is it
tall has it been drinking milk from goats the doctor is in and he looks you in the eye
puts you in the power position asks you if youre ok laughs when you say its like a
mascara brush inside you hes never heard that one before slaps you on the ovaries
youre healthy hes so proud of you. Hes a nice doctor and he cares. Thinks youre
too smart to be sad. You leave the office with your low iron low b12 and a healthy
womb. Eat more meat. A blister forms across your foot like a sunburn and now you
cannot walk something happened the sun comes out and its so nice like an oven the
good part of spring is in the sky kiss your palm with tongue press perss psers the
depression lift it up like a scab like a blister. Hug your sister because you love her
hug your bull terrier because he is such a good bad dog let him drink your oatmeal
scraps eat your underwear bruise your shins it really could be so much worse and its not.

This poem was featured in Issue 07 of Canthius.

---

kari teicher writes fiction, poetry, and complains. a recent graduate from the mfa at the university of victoria and the ba at the university of king's college, she has studied fiction and poetry on both coasts of canada. she was a finalist in room magazine's poetry contest 2019, longlisted for the cbc short story prize 2018, longlisted for cv2's young buck poetry prize 2018, winner of saltern magazine's short forms contest 2017. her work has been published with the puritan, room magazine, joypuke ii, dalhousie gazette, saltern magazine, incite magazine, fathom and others. her next story is forthcoming in event magazine. kari lives in toronto with her bull terrier, and she works in communications and production. she is at work on her debut novel about snag, yukon.