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subway intimacy on crowded nights,
your thigh against mine in this
touchless city, city of rat piss
and un-time and advertising
no i don’t want my face sliced
dr. zizmor, no i don’t want
to participate in your study on
drugs for schizophrenia or about
cocaine or eating disorders you
don’t know me just want my money
my body the body that does things
is things that you want, the body
that feels or wants or hurts or
needs but does it wrong, does it
not the way it’s supposed to, is
touchless wonders what inebri-
ation feels like wonders what
making love feels like wonders
what skin burning alive feels like
wonders what inside a sunflower
or inside the moon wonders
touchless wonders what prostitution
would feel like wonders if it’s like
what is expected of thoughts when
we traipse to the school office coffeehouse
just not bodies not our children’s bodies
not the bodies of those who have
no place else to go the bodies
who might love being bodies but
sometimes wish away that skin oh
what, kind sir, what can i buy
with this here dollar?

(New York, 2014)
©Rachel Susser