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. 

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