to find myself not-woman is an incantation of garlic.
in every cactus i carve my mother’s name.
boundaries and blossoms. the caw of a crow. a dog
eats my bike shorts; i curse 9 lives. utopia and
dystopia are mangled kite string.

i want to be satisfiable, i tell my lover on the phone. 

to receive care from the plum trees, to attend to the
pussy willows. to wash my cancer-weary frame in a
rusted bathtub caked with mold. to dawn the fire of
contentment.

Note: This poem is from a larger manuscript.

Published October 17th, 2021

emet ezell is a community organizer, song-leader, and writer committed to prioritizing transformation over transaction. born and raised in the American South, they are happiest beneath a big blue Texas sky. emet is also the co-founder of The Barnacle Goose, a surreal Jewish magazine published by Blima Books. you can keep up with their work here or follow their catalogue of dead birds on twitter: @baruchdayanemet. when they re-incarnate, emet hopes to become a bird.

Sean Trombly is a Brooklyn based artist and architect. Sean received a Masters in Architecture from the Wentworth Institute of Technology, where they also completed their Bachelor or Science in Architecture. They are now a project manager at Joe the Architect; their architectural work is interested in uncovering patterns in reclaimed spaces by minority communities. They are a member of the Member of Wentworth Architecture Alumni Committee, and their work has been featured in Manque Magazine, Boston Voyager Magazine, and the ​​Wentworth Architecture Review. You can find more of Sean’s work on their website or by following their instagram (@seantii).