Fox

Pixee has three pairs of ribs removed
for a 16-inch waist. Her surgeon

says the op is safe. His smile
is tight, too wide

and fills the screen. It’s not his job
to tell a woman what she

should / should not do to her body.
In the front row sits Pixee:

frilly top, bloated
lips, inflated chest,

a balloon creation at a fairground
where a clown pumps

coloured sausages,
nips them from the nozzle, twists

to cinch a waist, a neck or legs,
to conjure paws or ears.

Pixee’s lips don’t stir; her tiny nose
and alabaster cheeks are

matt under the studio lights.
When she moves, she squeaks.

* In October 2015, internet model and self-proclaimed "living doll" Pixee Fox documented on Tumblr the procedure to remove her six lower ribs.

(from my pamphlet 'Rib', pub. Wayleave Press 2021)