by Janette Schafer
When it happened to me
the first time, I was 7—
sitting in my uncle’s lap,
coloring a Santa Funtime Book,
arms stained with crayon wax,
before he pushed me onto
the dining room table.
Bet you think I had it coming, too.
Janette Schafer is a poet, photographer, playwright, and realtor living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She holds an MFA in Poetry from Chatham University. She is the author of three collections of poetry and the chief editor of two poetry anthologies. Her writing and photographs have appeared in numerous journals, newspapers, and websites, including Vox Populi, The Missouri Review, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and SWWIM. She is a winner of the Academy of American Poets Prize.
