Interpretations

[dukealien]

I pretended not to look
as she carved her back
into a statue, and cracked it.

We were the only ones
in the library, and I was reading
her vertebrae like a poem
I couldn’t understand.

A nice read.  The first stanza relies on ambiguous interpretation of a few critical words and their referrents (per the title):  "into" and "cracked," specifically.  We don't know if the lady carved her back to *resemble* a statue, or conformed its curve to that of a pre-existing piece of statuary (joining Pauline Buonaparte on her marble bed, perhaps).  "Cracked" is even wider-ranging:  was the statue broken, your lady's spine, or does this refer to the mild percussive sounds of vertebrae comfortably reseating themselves?  (I chose the latter, having sometimes been asked to assist in this process by walking on certain young women's backs as they lie on the floor.)

In the second stanza, we see the statue in the library. but reading (visually) rather than auditing (audibly).  As for the lack of understanding - was the spinal curve composed for her pleasure or yours?

Critique:  L3 might be a little less jagged - "popped" rather than "cracked?"  L4, "We were the only ones" is serviceable, but could be more artful (or more poetic?)  "[V]ertebrae" is nice, but slightly discordant, being the only scientific term in a work that uses ordinary words to good effect.  What else could be done with that - "spinal figure," even "backbone?"  Though "vertebrae" certainly sounds well and gets the idea across.

But the main theme - is she performing, or merely getting comfortable with herself - is well expressed.  Or both?