The worst poem I've ever written

(a before and after of a poem + a prompt)

Late December to early January is, as everyone knows, a period of limbo—sweatpants, messy buns, Minecraft with my boyfriend. So, unsurprisingly, writing poetry during this time can feel like pulling teeth.

And oh how I pulled.

I extracted these lines (let’s call it a draft) about lust. I’d been reading Richard Siken, god of lyrical longing. I’d been thinking about monogamy, how even in a non-monogamous relationship we still live in a mostly monogamous world, how our desires, especially women’s desires, are so often forgotten, villainized, and mocked in the patriarchal institution of romance.

And, on top of all that, you’ll never have both. Whether you’re single or polyamorous or married to your high school sweetheart, we all give up one life in the choosing of another.