Yoda Olinyk

They Say That by Writing Metaphors, You Can Hide from the Truth

[I am a volcano] as in every man who has made me
come has promised that there is no such thing as too much 

ocean. I lavacurl my nails into their backs and plunge
them further into the kind of natural disaster only the moon

can clean up. Only one man has ever called me [a volcano]
and in metaphor he is                                      [a hammer,] [a sword,] [a machete.] 

If I’m being literal: metallic. This man knew
where all my spots were and stroked them often 

but he used [a pair of pliers] to pry me open. When I try
to write about him without metaphor, I can only find verbs                  [nailed] and [screwed.] 

My body remembered how to erupt every time he used force.
[Pillage.] [Ruin.] But the rest of me? There is no metaphor

for where she went.

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Yoda Olinyk (she/her) is a writer, editor and workshop guide from Canada. Her work has appeared in many beloved journals and she has two books out. You can find her at www.doulaofwords.com.