When I had sex with him, I got sick. 
For the majority of a year I suffered at least 
one kind of infection. I was instructed to sleep 
with a tablet of boric acid inside myself. 
A doctor said, this could kill someone 
if they swallowed it but I already knew. 
In Tucson, I had mixed it—a rubbery powder— 
with sugar and water in bottle caps. 
Scattered those near cracks where cockroaches 
rose from the basement. At night, 
they preened their wings with poisoned legs 
before returning to their nests. You can understand 
why you cannot receive oral sex. 
Some bodies are not compatible. 
It can take years for the woman’s to adapt.