when i wanted to be a girl
by Tara Labovich
Still i feel it That hollow
hunger The space between hills
It was a rush like rain
in the gullets Or insistence
Beauty I mean The question of
What matters Answered quick
wet by lipliner I don’t mean
to say the girl word
ended with image
I only mean to say The image
was all that wanted me
And i was good at it And i was
good And i hear it calling still
As if circling the cement
drain Down a long tunnel
hunger The space between hills
It was a rush like rain
in the gullets Or insistence
Beauty I mean The question of
What matters Answered quick
wet by lipliner I don’t mean
to say the girl word
ended with image
I only mean to say The image
was all that wanted me
And i was good at it And i was
good And i hear it calling still
As if circling the cement
drain Down a long tunnel
Tara Labovich
Tara Labovich (they/them) is a writer and lecturer of English in Iowa. Their multi-genre creative work explores questions of queerness, survivorship, and multicultural upbringing. Their writing is nominated for Best of the Net, and can be found in journals such as Salt Hill and the Citron Review.