Girls Bloom to Burn

By Whitney Rio-Ross

[Rahab] came up to them on the roof and said to the men, “. . . Now then, since I have dealt kindly with you, swear to me by the Lord that you in turn will deal kindly with my family. Give me a sign of good faith that you will spare my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them and deliver our lives from death.” . . . The men said to her, “We will be released from this oath that you have made us swear to you if we invade the land and you do not tie this crimson cord in the window through which you let us down.”—Joshua 2:8-18

It must’ve been bright red.
Or maybe it was a ribbon or a towel.
I bet that’s what it really means.
The Bible’s so dramatic sometimes.
If it was only a cord, it had to be
glowing like that sign at the movies.
No, my mom says I can’t see Moulin Rouge.
She says I’m too young for everything,
even lipstick. What else is playing?
That’s right, it could’ve been a bedsheet.
It’d be funny if it was a tampon or whatever
they used back then. My grandma calls it
your bloom. Once I saw a used pad
on the bathroom floor, and the stain
did kind of look like a flower.
You still haven’t gotten yours, right?
Will you tell me when you do?
You’re taller, so I bet you’ll start first.
Yeah, I heard that too, about having babies.
Blood all over the place.
Did your mom say it felt like fire?
A man made a joke about that on TV.
My mom was different. They cut her
belly open and stitched it up after I was out.
Then again and again with my sisters.
It didn’t hurt too bad, but the blood was
everywhere. Have you seen a baby
right when it comes out? I know!
Like a wrinkly hotdog with too much ketchup.
But really I think the weirdest part
of the story is how the boys slept over.
Would you ever invite boys to sleep over?
At least she made them stay on the roof.
I know you have to sleep with one
when you’re married if you want a baby
to set you on fire. Do you think if you don’t
want a baby you can give the flower back?
That’s true, at least she saved her family.
I’d let any boy on the roof to save you,
if that’s what it took.

—

About Author

Whitney Rio-Ross is the author of the chapbook Birthmarks (Wipf & Stock) and poetry editor for Fare Forward. Her writing has appeared in New South, Iron Horse Literary Review, So to Speak, 3Elements Review, River Heron Review, Susurrus, and elsewhere. She lives with her family in Nashville, TN.

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