The Vagina Monologues

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I WAS THERE WHEN HER VAGINA CHANGED... FROM A SHY, SEXUAL HOLE TO AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL TUNNEL, A SACRED VESSEL, A VENETIAN CANAL, A DEEP WELL WITH A TIN Y STUCK CHILD INSIDE, WAITING TO BE RESCUED. I SAW THE COLORS OF HER VAGINA. THEY CHANGED. SAW THE BRUISED BROKEN BLUE, THE BLISTERING TOMATO RED, THE GRAY-PINK, THE DARK, SAW THE BLOOD-LIKE PERSPIRATION ALONG THE EDGES, SAW THE YELLOW, WHITE LIQUID, THE SHIT, THE CLOTS PUSHING OUT ALL THE HOLES, PUSHING HARDER AND HARDER, SAW THROUGH THE HOLE, THE BABY'S HEAD. SCRATCHES OF BLACK HAIR, SAW IT JUST THERE, BEHIND THE BONE. LIKE A HARD, ROUND MEMORY, AS THE NURSE FROM THE UKRAINE KEPT TURNING AND TURNING HER SLIPPERY HAND.

I WAS THERE WHEN EACH OF US, HER MOTHER AND I, HELD A LEG AND SPREAD HER WIDE, PUSHING WITH ALL OUR STRENGTH AGAINST HER PUSHING, AS HER HUSBAND STERNLY COUNTING, "ONE, TWO, THREE," TELLING HER, "FOCUS, FOCUS HARDER." WE LOOKED INTO HER THEN. WE COULDN'T GET OUR EYES OUT OF THAT PLACE. WE FORGET THE VAGINA, ALL OF US. WHAT ELSE WOULD EXPLAIN OUR LACK OF AWE, OUR LACK OF REVERENCE? I WAS THERE WHEN THE DOCTOR REACHED IN WITH ALICE IN WONDERLAND SPOONS AND THERE AS HER VAGINA BECAME A WIDE, OPERATIC MOUTH SINGING WITH ALL ITS STRENGTH, FIRST THE LITTLE HEAD. THEN THE GRAY FLOPPING ARM… THEN THE FAST, SWIMMING BODY, SWIMMING QUICKLY INTO OUR WEEPING ARMS.

I WAS THERE LATER, WHEN I JUST TURNED I TURNED AND I FACED HER VAGINA. I STOOD AND I LET MYSELF SEE HER, ALL SPREAD, COMPLETELY EXPOSED, MUTILATED, SWOLLEN, TORN, BLEEDING ALL OVER THE DOCTOR'S HANDS, WHO WAS CALMLY SEWING HER THERE. I STOOD... AND AS I STARED, HER VAGINA SUDDENLY BECAME A WIDE, RED, PULSING HEART. THE HEART IS CAPABLE OF SACRIFICE. SO IS THE VAGINA. THE HEART IS ABLE TO FORGIVE AND REPAIR. IT CAN CHANGE ITS SHAPE TO LET US IN IT CAN EXPAND TO LET US OUT. SO CAN THE VAGINA. IT CAN ACHE FOR US AND STRETCH FOR US, AND DIE FOR US. AND BLEED AND BLEED US INTO THIS DIFFICULT... WONDROUS WORLD. SO CAN THE VAGINA. I WAS THERE IN THE ROOM. I REMEMBER.
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