Lannie Stabile

THE PLURAL OF CYCLOPS IS CYCLOPES

A girl can carry her drink to the bathroom,
or a friend can guard it within her wool.

She can spot and uproot red flags
like a row of Washington Apples.

A girl can call an Uber,
or substitute water for undiluted wine.

A girl can travel in a flock,
or tuck keys between her knuckles

like Hellenistic soldiers.
She can even master Krav Maga

and the myth of prevention.
A girl can occupy a barstool all night long,

with a vigilant eye on her glass,
but when the SAFE kit is processed

in the morning, police will insist
there is nobody to blame.

This poem is reprinted from Good Morning to Everyone Except Men Who Name Their Dogs Zeus, (Cephalo Press, 2021).