Cast of Characters
by Sara Backer

The star claims pregnancy
to explain her gain in weight.

Beneath maternity tops,
she secretly diets

until she can stage
a miscarriage.

You can't be a star
without starving.

When the camera adds pounds,
the director subtracts lines.

The roles you play become bits
of characters you will never see

naked:
              loyal wife
              business shrew
              wacky bestie
              psycho bitch
              deaf clown.

As a deaf clown, you pad
your costume with bolsters.

At clown school, you learn
how to act.

Published in Into the Void

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