in the movie of our lives, this is the soundtrack of us tearing into each other
i’m talking jagged girlboy nails against
your naked chest. spit. sweat. tongues
edging their way between flesh ravines
i swear god put there for that reason
alone. in my dreams i sit in a cinema
constructed like an altar to you and i,
snippets always screening. you twirl
me around in a tinsel dress. you kiss me
in front of everyone who matters. easy.
i never owe you one, but i give gifts
to people who love me. i like the way
your skin feels on the insides of my thighs,
peachsoft but firm. about once a month,
the dream is sleeping next to you — last time
it was an apartment with yolkyellow walls,
mahogany floors that creaked. three
bedrooms. if i’ve had pleasant dreams
of lovers before you, i don’t remember
them. no one has been a lover before.
not like this — swooped the first four letters
and embedded them into everything.
sex. touch. sweet earworm of praise
when i lay myself bare, quivering.
you show me sloppy tangled mess
and i raise you mine. you kiss
my neck anyway.
Beeper Peddle is a writer and healer living on the East Coast. She lives with her partner and their beloved soul puppy. Beeper writes about sorrows, lies, and deep loves. When you read her work, you will dip down into her heart and end up in all manner of body parts. Should you find yourself reflected in these words, it is merely coincidence; however, it does not surprise her you share the same heart. Find her at bethpeddle.com and @beeperpeddle on Twitter and Instagram
nat raum is a disabled artist, writer, and genderless disaster based on unceded Piscataway and Susquehannock land in Baltimore. They’re the editor-in-chief of fifth wheel press. Their writing has been published with Broadkill Review, Split Lip Magazine, ANMLY, Allium, and others. Find them online: natraum.com.
Want more of nat’s work? Check out their nonfiction piece, stoop kiss, in Issue 26!
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