Pillow Fort Password
Let’s workshop this poem about an adult activity occurring within what should be an innocent space—the child here, (unluckily) full of wonder, luckily lacking the concepts that might otherwise wound
Pillow Fort Password
Wide-eyed curiosity unfazed
by Elsa’s “Let It Go,” cherub
hands—gargoyle grip more
hellbent on velocity after
a giggle-evoking topper of saliva—
pump that veiny rigidity
with an obscene autonomy
too vigorous, too disinviting
of oversite, to be undemonic.
"Pillow Fort Password" examines the horrifying reality of childhood molestation, a subject approached through unsettling imagery and a juxtaposition of innocence and corruption. The poem opens with "wide-eyed curiosity unfazed," suggesting the child's initial innocence, but this is quickly undermined by a darker narrative. The reference to Elsa’s "Let It Go," a song typically associated with childhood joy, contrasts sharply with the description that follows—"cherub hands" turning into a "gargoyle grip." The transformation from an angelic to monstrous image hints at the violation of innocence, with the child becoming an unwitting participant in something grotesque.
The line "pump that veiny rigidity with an obscene autonomy" is a disturbing and explicit reference to a child being involved in an act of molestation, underscoring the obscene and coercive nature of the situation. The phrase "too vigorous, too disinviting of oversight" points to the lack of adult intervention or awareness, a damning critique of societal failure to protect children from such abuse. The absence of "oversight" speaks to the hidden, secretive nature of molestation, where acts of violation occur beyond the gaze of those responsible for the child's safety. The use of the word "demonic" in the final line encapsulates the evil inherent in the situation, framing the molestation as not just a moral failing but a violation of the child's very humanity.
The pillow fort, typically a symbol of childhood innocence and imagination, becomes a setting of betrayal. It symbolizes a supposed place of safety turned into a site of trauma, furthering the sense of innocence corrupted. The use of sexual imagery combined with the context of childhood play creates a disturbing tension, reflecting the grotesque inversion of something pure into something deeply harmful. The poem is a stark portrayal of the hidden, horrific reality of child molestation and the failure of those who should be safeguarding the vulnerable.