MAPs
Let’s workshop this poem about how the wise saying (something like: everyone has a story that would draw our empathy if we knew it in full) applies, we should remember, even to minor-attracted persons
MAPs
Some boys find their fate
kinked by pumps
below a kitchen table
(Judy Garland ruby,
stark as poppies
against snow, crystalized
into fetish)—tender
psyches less fortunate
find theirs kinked
by monkey-bar midriff,
blouse hiked high
to kindergarten nipples.
"MAPs" explores the dark undercurrents of formative experiences that shape sexual fetishes, particularly in relation to minor-attracted persons (MAPs). The poem juxtaposes the seemingly innocent with the disturbing, highlighting how the innocence of childhood, represented by imagery such as Judy Garland's ruby slippers and monkey bars, can be distorted into fetishes that haunt adult psyches. The stark contrast between the vibrancy of ruby slippers and the unsettling image of kindergarten-aged midriffs speaks to the troubling ways in which early, seemingly innocuous experiences can become the foundation for deviant attractions. The poem invites reflection on the complexities of human sexuality, the tragic ways it can be perverted, and the long-lasting impact of childhood encounters on adult desires.
MAPs, minor-attracted persons, sexual fetishes, childhood experiences, deviant attractions, kink formation, human sexuality, Judy Garland, psychological development, poetry, disturbing imagery, childhood innocence.