russian doll

within this shell there lies the difference
broken to neat halves
secreted and safe-keeping a golden core
she mimics the sorcerer hiding his heart

from questing homicidal princes
that deepest yellow yolk of her

side to wooden side placed
neat tops rematched to appropriate bottoms
descending line of blank-smiled girls
painted with the colors of tough subway faces
each slighter sister nearly cloned
whose subtle inconsistencies infinitesimal
yet intrinsic, rarely definable

smallest finally revealed
she is ever the favorite
we who mistake minuteness for vulnerability
helplessness for cuteness
forget and readily miss without aid of microscope
that in particulate
the nucleus is the strongest

— poem & featured image by Justina Aura Nemoy