poetry

Making Peace #14

Doors Openings

In my last apartment, none
of the doors shut completely. I
hung hand towels over the tops

to make the seal tight enough not
to open with just the slightest
push. In this new apartment,

the doors all latch firm shut, but
I keep crashing into them, throwing
my shoulder into the wood, touching

them with my toe, a small kick,
an elbow, a slight push, expecting
them to open. Though the truth is,

they would all open, eagerly,
with trembling pleasure, if ever
I uttered the softest request.

Published by Sinclair Sexsmith

Sinclair Sexsmith (they/them) is "the best-known butch erotica writer whose kinky, groundbreaking stories have turned on countless queers" (AfterEllen), who "is in all the books, wins all the awards, speaks at all the panels and readings, knows all the stuff, and writes for all the places" (Autostraddle). ​Their short story collection, Sweet & Rough: Queer Kink Erotica, was a 2016 finalist for a Lambda Literary Award, and they are the current editor of the Best Lesbian Erotica series. They identify as a white non-binary butch dominant, a survivor, and an introvert, and they live outside Seattle as an uninvited settler on traditional, ancestral, & unceded Snoqualmie land.

7 thoughts on “Making Peace #14”

  1. Cuntext says:

    i see. pretty.

  2. DiAnna says:

    I like this!

  3. Rife says:

    You are a poetic genius.

    Also. ‘Trembling pleasure’ is a tag I’d like to see used more. :)

  4. yarrow says:

    yes.

    and — *hugs*

    –kat

  5. clarkeroyale says:

    You know, its the quality of the writing that makes me reluctant to sully it with a hamfisted comment of ‘stunning’. But embarrassingly that’s all my inadequate vocabulary came up with…

    Thanks for sharing this

    And thanks for popping up rife! It would be great to hear something from you, if you want.

  6. e says:

    Nice imagery, beautiful analogy…

  7. Packlyn says:

    Brave.

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