The Paris Review

Two Poems by Morgan Parker

THE HIGH PRIESTESS OF SOUL’S SUNDAY MORNING VISIT TO THE WALL OF RESPECT

The Impressionism wing strikes me as toodainty for my mood, except for one oil paintingby Gustave Caillebotte, ,which is described in the wall text as“visually unpleasant.” A bust of an African womanbums me out. This year, I criedat everyone’s kitchen table,I spit on the street and was late on purpose and steppedin glass andminuses over and over. I’ll figure it out.I let a man walk away and thenanother one. It has taken me exactly this longto realize I could have done something else.I’m being repetitive now but do you everhate yourself ?

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