An Evangelical Woman Told Me

An Evangelical Woman Told Me Amanda Smeltz (bio) An evangelical woman told me my cleavage was a problem.The sculptor has perfect politics, but can't see God in the marble. Three miscarriages, three little shrines, her unborn babies in heaven.As for me, I've learned too well the words dilate and scrape. On earth, there's nothing more miserable than an OB-GYN:Valedictorians, field hockey players, cunty empiricists all. Now I'm perched on the prow of this boat; a black-haired girl teaches me Greek.Kiano, hriso, kokkino—the molten Cycladic sun. Titties out in the Aegean, wings made out of wax—That's how you land in the Athens hospital, dawn of your 30th year. The doc was named Dionysius: the one true healer.He asked, "What then did you drink?"—I told him, "Everything." My father's name is Dennis, too. God of harvest, fullness, praise—Come on then, you bull-faced babes! This tsipouro won't drink itself. [End Page 147] Amanda Smeltz Amanda Smeltz's poetry can be found in The Best American Poetry 2023 anthology, The Iowa Review, Poetry Northwest, and Prelude, among others, with non-fiction appearing in Esquire. She was a 2021 writer-in-residence at The Mastheads in Pittsfield, MA. Smeltz works in the wine business and splits her time between the US and Europe. You can find her on Instagram @smeltzmonger.