Ode to my Middle Finger by Susan Vespoli

Ode to my Middle Finger

My palm’s life line is so long,
it wraps around my wrist like a bracelet,

and above it, my thumb and pointer can touch
to form a circle that says okay or perfect,
and my ring finger’s adorned in a Cartier love band,

but it’s the middle finger who is my favorite.
O, tall one, you mirror my position in my family

of shorter sisters; me, the one who would fling up
and get herself into trouble, so knee-jerk

that bird flip. O, middle finger, overly sensitive
misfit, you stood up for me my whole life,

A vintage palmistry chart says you, O, digitus medius,
represent determination and art, so I bow
down to you. O, divining rod, flagpole,

crutch that held me up until I learned
to rise up and speak for myself.

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Susan Vespoli believes in the power of writing to heal. Her work has been published in ONE ART: a journal of poetry, Anti-Heroin Chic, New Verse News, Rattle, Gyroscope Review, and other cool spots. She is the author of four poetry collections and has an upcoming chapbook The Gut Is an Aquarium of Odd Sea Creatures to be published by The Poetry Box in December 2026. Susan Vespoli – Author, Poet