Unwound

Sep 2, 2025 | 2025 Fall - Aging, Poetry

By Robin Genova

At the age of 42 I am starting to understand
Those crazy old women
In extravagant flamboyant prints
And purple hair
I am desperate to claw some color out of these bones
All of my bindings made of thread
Holding me in place
Beige and gray
Comforting and confining
Done with being an object to beautify
To make this body slender and sleek and breedable
This middle age crisis is an unwinding
A snapping of threads
Thinner than I ever imagined

Robin Genova is a Canadian-born poet from Ontario, now living in Northern California. As a neurodivergent and feminist writer, her work explores themes of identity and resilience. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Wilfrid Laurier University.

 

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