Poetry by Juliette Sebock

​Game of Thrones
 
Emily tells me her boyfriend reads it to her,
Runs a red pen through the bad parts:
Rape,
Murder, 
Biting through a bloody heart. 
 
I want to be like Emily. 

But I'm drawn to it
Because sex sells
(and incest makes it interesting)
 
And the violence blocks out the depth or it all, 
The truth in the allegories of politics and capitalism, 
 
Buzzwords behind an iron throne.  




Subtlety
 
There's no gun pressed to her head--
He didn't play too much Grand Theft Auto
--but she's terrified. 
 
The omniscient "they"
Say you bring more abuse on yourself
Once you've been called a victim. 
 
When he raises his voice, 
She cowers, 
Feeling like his fist after impact--
 
She can't change the channel.

Juliette Sebock is the author of the poetry chapbook, Mistakes Were Made. Her work has recently appeared or is forthcoming in Cauldron Anthology, Royal Rose Mag, Marias at Sampguitas, Reclaim: An Anthology of Women's Poetry, and Paper Trains Literary Journal. She is the founding editor of Nightingale & Sparrow and runs a lifestyle blog, For the Sake of Good Taste. ​

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