"Perfect Prey" &Other Poems

By Ari Anne Flit

(Instagram: @ari_flit

Tiktok: @pupzjr)

"perfect prey"

isn’t every woman born

a perfect prey?

every woman has borne

a prayer of survival

whistles ringing, ran

to take over

the first cave

between her mother

and the finish lines, in

the warm dirt

of the carnivore’s

meat-seeking trail

they all smell the same.

no woman, like

good prey

has ever known peace.

isn’t every woman born

a shapeshifter?

every woman

frozen yet mercurial, flesh-

bound storefront mannequins

agile yet slow, imperceptible

to the naked eye of the beasts

mute yet quick as a shooting arrow, slicing

the old two-pronged destiny --

escape for a living lest

fall to the predator,

or

befriend the bow, betray

your own blood

and become Hunter.

isn’t every woman born

a perfect prey?

every woman

raised ever-bending women, but

well-mannered, well-tempered

blood runs

dry, prey hunted

for sport, until

the first David

learns

she must throw the first stone

or die burnt at the stake.

"self-fulfilling prophecy"

you’ll live your life

only ever owning that which asks

no investment

no devotion

of you

a life

of silver forks

and paper plates

of one-night stand conversations

and feigned interest

and you’ll live your love

keeping your chessboard

behind your back

chanting the old charm

from the comfort of the stage

never letting her

stay

to watch the show

never letting her

close enough

to taste your breath.

you’ll live your life

stamping expiration dates

on the backs of the fools who love you

like I did, you’ve never trusted

yourself

to keep what you care for

never dared

to furnish the new house

always leaving

the trapdoor open

for your replaceable trinkets’

imminent departure

and you’ll live your love

climbing mountaintops, chasing

the joy you once felt

riding the wave, the thrill

of impermanence

but inevitably wishing

you’d trusted, you’d stayed

you’d held on to

have her there

when you hit the bottom.

About The Author:

Ari Anne is a 22 year old Peruvian native currently residing in Washington, D.C. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she shares her writing in her personal blog 'ari's writings' on Substack and with her Tiktok platform.

Connect with her on Instagram: @ari_flit and Tik-Tok @pupzjr