Loose Talk

Katie Donovan

The market for sex dolls is on the rise
The Guardian, June 5, 2018

Nag, prattle, palaver -
he’s had enough
of loudmouthed chatter -
better to invest
in a life-like version,
a girly robot doll,
great for sex
and a button to press
if he wants “talk.”
The deluxe model
will laugh at his jokes.

                                  Unless she entertains     
                                    he prefers
                                    
the dumb tongue.

I’m with the old wives:
it’s our tales that get told.
Silence is false gold
if it swallows up
assault, incest, rape;
medical mistakes.
I’ll speak as I wish –
roses or toads –
with the audacious gossips:
no secret safe
between our lips.

Katie Donovan is an Irish poet living in Dalkey, a suburb of Dublin. She has published five collections of poetry and her work has been widely anthologized.
Originally published:
July 1, 2019

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