Not Your Job
after Caitlyn Siehl
When the doctor went to pierce
the flap of skin under your nose
with his sterile silver hook
I told you to squeeze my hand
and said, “You are so brave”
sending all of the questions
creeping into the corners
about a scar
on your little nose
or alterations
to the shape
of your heart-shaped nostrils
back to your birth
and people saying how pretty
how beautiful
how lovely
while I insist you are smart, and kind, and sassy
so even if the stitches heal perfectly
it doesn’t matter.
You don’t have to be pretty.
It’s not your job.
About the Author
Noriko Nakada writes, blogs, tweets, parents, and teaches middle school in Los Angeles. She is committed to writing thought-provoking creative non-fiction, fiction, and poetry. Publications include two book-length memoirs: Through Eyes Like Mine and Overdue Apologies.Excerpts, essays, and poetry have appeared in Catapult, Meridian, Compose, Kartika, Hippocampus, The Rising Phoenix Review, and Linden Avenue.
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