#napowrimo Day 5 - “Sphinx’s Surgery”

Day 5 of National Poetry Month. Today’s prompt is to write a poem about a mythical person or creature doing something unusual. Here’s my poem:

Day 5 - SPHINX’s SURGERY

By Farah Lawal Harris

according to TMZ,

the Shinx statue is seeking surgery

to repair what is no longer there.

for years she sat, same stiff pose,

while tourists’ cameras captured 

her missing nose.

for centuries, 

the Black woman lioness’ flaw 

has been exposed.

we don’t for certain know

the origin of her disfigurement,

but there are theories:

erosion is a scientific one.

ask around and you’ll hear Napoleon,

disgusted by her nostrils’ Africanness,

shot her nose off during target practice.

another theory is that a Sufi, 

disturbed by the sight of her

being worshipped like a god,

destroyed it.

most intriguing? 

iconoclasm, the belief 

of statues to be containers 

of spiritual energy—

so someone broke off one piece 

so the power of her life form 

would cease.

yet here she stands.

she sighs, 

mask on, paws sanitized,

and enters the surgeon’s office.

the smiling receptionist at the front desk

checks her in, 

asks for proof of insurance,

then tells her to sit.

after a few minutes, a door opens:

“Sphinx? Follow me to Room 3.”

now this surgeon was no Dr. Miami,

but she needed one with 5 stars in Yelp 

who specializes in revision rhinoplasty.

a medical assistant snaps photos

and makes small talk:

“What silhouette are you gonna get?

You want a cute, classic shape 

like Beyoncé or Claire Huxtable’s?”

Sphinx shrugs, feeling vulnerable.

“Girl, whatever you do,

don’t be a fool

and waste your money on Jackson 5 nostrils.

Go Michael on the cover of Bad,

but not too thin like it was on Invincible.

My advice? Go simple.”

Sphinx smiles nervously,

considering the possibilities

as the camera snaps.

“Turn sideways for me to get your profile.”

*snap*

Sphinx swallows and says:

“Simple sounds good.”

*snap*

“I can always come back.”

*
Photo by Graeme King