Carol Guess is the author of six books of poetry and prose, including Switch and Tinderbox Lawn. Forthcoming books include Homeschooling and Doll Studies: Forensics. She teaches Queer Studies and Creative Writing at Western Washington University.

The complete Doll Studies: Forensics is forthcoming from Black Lawrence Press.

Girl On Wheels

Her story begins with Seconal. Her husband did it, another doll. She kicked
off her heels by a borrowedbed. Pin-ups dodge the date by years. The bed’s
on wheels. The missing man might come to call when light dissolves on concrete
lawns. The idea is not to solve the crime. Color and texture form the prelude to
meaning. The idea is to see as at a museum. Kisses on a pillow give the crime away.