A POEM by LEAH LENTZ
i lose my virginity a second time while thinking of jeff
he takes off his muscle tank & i know it’s on. but this way—
it’s also off. i leave my earrings on the bedside table
& think of siken. which brother is this: he who destroys
or he who repairs? he who punches holes in walls
or he who caulks the vinyl siding? my heart is monologuing.
it’s sitting there like, oh my god, can we get
to the good part? the bruises & blood part? the seedy bar part?
the boy is a wildish thing, jaw always ajar like a lion yawning.
listen: there are lions who’ll bite your head off & lions
who want you to think they will. i have an inkling he’s the latter,
but i have terrible taste in lions. i used to think
i’d be married by now, but all my bedfellows are bad
jokes: easy & expected. someone told me laughing
was love. i’ll wait until a new definition comes.
leah lentz (she/her) calls the Pine Barrens home, but currently studies literature and writing at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg. This is her first publication. She can be found on Instagram: @leah.lentz.