J.M. Tan

← Poems

7 April 2026

UNBITCH ME

Practice smiling before entering I need to look less like a bitch

Unbitch I must do so quickly Before they project their shadows on my face

Shadows are serpents they love coiling on this face This face would run this country on a man!

On a woman this face would haunt the land Cheeks lifted, eyes softened here I go

Cheeks aching, eyes still tame I’m here now Entering a room of rehearsed smiles

The smiles stay rehearsed ice not thawed The groups stay impenetrable to my farce

The groups, the impenetrable farce so I should Practice smiling more before entering