1.
carbon-copied fingerprints
smudge stratum corneum
a shunned sheath of human
receptors, thin like food film
the mediocre doesn’t devolve
and nothing better gets
thru. i wonder if you knew
we could be happy.
2.
powered simulations
stand-in, satisfy, snub, numb
the lonely. alone is a muddy
color, i think. murky, even.
the muck of earth’s decline,
vital. it’s everyone sometime.
i still want to be touched.
3.
corporeal canyons
forget the simplest
small things. save the last.
buy the right almond milk
share hair oils. kiss
goodnight. rub lotion, hard
into an itchy back.
think about fucking.

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Shon Mapp (She/her)
Shon Mapp writes about queer intimacy, immigrant identities, and kinship.