TWO POEMS by EM [MARIE] KOHL
sagittarius
queers circumvent consent too
like the time an old roommate
railroads me into the bath-
room under the promise to
glitter me down. it was the
aerosol can condescend gold
flecks i was after. wasn’t
till the third clitter joke as
i stood in the tub - her bod-
y blocking my exit i
realized. thought she was
trolling me. the, wanna make
out? didn’t sooth the situ-
ation: awkward laugh, i’m very
much sober. she cocks the can
in her hand. i’m very much not.
never knew what it was like
to be pinned by another
queer’s self-entitlement to
my body till i had to
squeeze my frame between her and
her vanity to get out.
virgo
friends so long i can
lip sync along to all your
karaoke songs
Em [Marie] Kohl (they/she) is a neurodivergent white queer creative living on Lenapehoking (Brooklyn, NY), whose personal and community practices move from a trauma informed center. Em’s current practice is in dialogue with loneliness-isolation & its redress, access & accessibility, cosmic ecology and love. Their writing can be found in Everybody Press Review, Pom Pom Press, The Ana, and Inkwell, amongst others. Every first Thursday you can find them co-hosting the queer reading series exquisites at Art Cafe + Bar in Brooklyn. exquisites also publishes an anthology series twice a year and hosts nomadic writing workshops. Outside of exquisites, Em is a community programer for Aberdeen Community Garden in Bushwick, and an Advisory Board member for the compost non-profit BK ROT. Em builds community through mutual care and an openness towards continual growth.