What a Rhinestone Means to Me by Isabel Grey (Colorado, 27)

What a Rhinestone Means to Me— Duplex

After Jericho Brown

My glamor is my counterculture
Holding an x and y, I defy the suit and tie.

             To my birth, I am not tied
             ​But I cinch my waist with a sash of choice.

Rhinestones over suede is a choice
To persuade a toast in a champagne glass.

             “To your womanhood,” cheers my mirror’s glass
             For she knows how hard I fought for my pearls.

From one synapse, She grew like a pearl
After a grain of estrogen slipped through my lips.

             When I line my eyes and paint my lips
             ​I dot the “i” and cross the “t” in “authentic.”

Watch the queen dressed in authenticity because
Her glamor is her counterculture.

Isabel Grey (she/her) is an MFA student in Genre Fiction and Poetry at Western Colorado University. Her poem "This Act Shall Take Effect" was nominated for the 2024 Pushcart Prize by Terrain.org. Her short story "Red Door House" was the winner of the 2023 WordCrafter Press Short Fiction Contest. Isabel's work can be found in Black Poppy Review, The Chamber Magazine, The Gay & Lesbian Review, and elsewhere.