I TAPPED A CIGARETTE OVER MY EX'S CUNT AND IT SMELLED LIKE NUTRISSE AND PINK WHITNEY  - Savannah Mandella

LAST WEEKEND YOU LOOKED AT YOUR ASSHOLE 

IN THE MIRROR, YOUR BACK BENT AT THE EXORCIST ANGLE 

AND YOUR HEAD CRANED BETWEEN YOUR 

KNEES LIKE A CONTORTIONIST PRACTICING A SET, 

TWELVE INCHES FROM THE BATHROOM DOOR 

WHICH YOU DIDN’T REALIZE WAS UNLOCKED 

UNTIL YOUR ROOMMATE JIGGLED THE HANDLE. 

AND AS YOU SHOOED HER AWAY, 

VOICE WEAK FROM THE MUSCLE STRAIN, 

YOUR BRAIN FELT THE NEED 

TO REMIND ITSELF THAT 

YOU USUALLY DON’T DO THINGS LIKE THIS, 

LICKING ITS WOUNDS WITH A PRETENSE OF DECENCY 

LIKE THAT SAME CONTORTIONIST AFTER 

MISTAKING THEIR KNEE FOR THEIR 

ELBOW AND SLIPPING A DISK ON STAGE 

BUT KYLE WAS SUPPOSED TO COME OVER, 

YOUR REFLECTION MEWLED IN PROTEST, 

AND HE WAS GOING TO FUCK YOU 

SO ONCE YOU HAD KICKED 

EVERYTHING ON THE FLOOR 

UNDER THE BED AND LITTERED 

YOUR ENTIRE BODY WITH DAMP 

PINK NICKS FROM THE RAZOR 

AND FILLED UP THAT MAGENTA PLASTIC COMB 

YOU’VE HAD SINCE YOU WERE THIRTEEN 

WITH HARD KNOTS OF DEAD HAIR 

AND JERKED YOURSELF INTO A WHITE 

NYLON JUMPSUIT WITH LACE DESIGNS 

OVER THE TITS THAT MAKE THEM LOOK 

LIKE SOMETHING THAT A MAN WOULD BE INCLINED TO SUCK, 

YOU REALIZED THAT, SHOCK AND HORROR, 

YOU HAD NEVER SEEN YOUR OWN ASSHOLE. 

AND WHETHER OR NOT IT WILL COME OFF AS 

ADEQUATELY ENTICING TO KYLE,

YOU CANNOT CONFIDENTLY SAY. 

AND YOU KNEW GOING INTO THIS THAT 

SOMEWHERE OUT THERE IS A PERSON 

WITH AN ANUS SO IMMACULATE THAT FINEART AMERICA 

PUT IT’S CLOSE UP SHOTS ON AN IPHONE CASE 

THAT YOU CAN BUY AND CARRY AROUND WITH YOU EVERYWHERE FOR 41 BUCKS PLUS SHIPPING. 

AND AS YOU STAND THERE WITH THE BLOOD RUSHING TO YOUR HEAD TRYING TO KEEP YOUR KNEES FROM BUCKLING 

AND LEAVING YOUR GOURD SPLATTERED 

ALL OVER THE LINOLEUM FOR KYLE TO FIND 

YOU’RE STILL FINDING THE STRENGTH TO BE 

KINDA PISSED AT YOUR BEST FRIEND FOR SENDING YOU THAT LINK AS A JOKE. BECAUSE EVEN IF SHE DIDN’T MEAN TO, 

(BLESS HER HEART,) 

SHE GOT YOUR HOPES UP 

THAT YOU, TOO, COULD BE WORTHY OF A FORTY DOLLAR IPHONE CASE, COULD ENTER MISS UNIVERSE KNOWING YOU HAD 

A GUARANTEED WIN IN THE MANGINA CATEGORY, 

COULD FINALLY DISCOVER SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF 

TO BE LOUDLY, BRAZENLY PROUD OF. 

BUT CERTAIN PARTS OF THE BODY DID NOT 

EVOLVE TO BE SCRUTINIZED IN A BATHROOM MIRROR 

AND EVEN THOUGH LOGICALLY YOU KNEW THAT FOR A FACT, YOU ALSO KNEW THAT ALL THOSE MILLENNIA 

OF NATURAL SELECTION AND THEIR SUBSEQUENT IMPACT ON YOUR VARIOUS TUBES AND FOLDS AND COLLAGENS 

ARE NOT KYLE’S FUCKING PROBLEM, 

AND MAYBE THAT’S WHY IT’S A RELIEF THAT 

EVEN AFTER DOING ALL THAT WORK, 

THE JUMPSUIT AND THE COMB AND 

THE STUFF UNDER THE BED AND THE GNAWING 

AT YOUR SPINE 

WHEN YOU FINALLY ALLOW IT 

TO STRAIGHTEN OUT AGAIN, 

HE, KYLE, CASUALLY REVEALS THAT 

HE HAS A MENTAL BLOCK WITH CONDOMS 

THE DANGER OF WHICH IS NOT KYLE’S FAULT,

AS HE HAS A HOST OF PREDICAMENTS THAT HE CALLED: “A LATEX ALLERGY” 

“A THIRTEEN INCH DICK” 

“A WEIRD CURVE IN THE CENTER” 

“A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH FROM THE CLINIC” AND YOU GET TO LOOK BACK AND REALIZE THAT HE WASN’T JUST ASKING ABOUT YOUR BODY COUNT BECAUSE THAT IS A NORMAL QUESTION TO ASK IN THIS AGE OF THE 

HIGH VALUE MAN AND THE SEX SLAVER PODCAST WHERE THE GIRLS IN LOW CUT TOPS WITH CHUNKY HAIR HIGHLIGHTS SIT IN A CIRCLE WORDLESS AS BLOW UP DOLLS 

AND LISTEN TO A GUY RAMBLE 

ABOUT HOW THEY ARE “SOIL FOR HIS SEED” AND I’M STRONGER, I’M SMARTER, 

I’M BETTER. I AM BETTER. 

KYLE ASKED TO KNOW 

HOW MANY MEN YOU HAD FUCKED BEFORE HIM BECAUSE KYLE WANTED TO BE SURE THAT SOME VENGEFUL ANTEDILUVIAN GOD OF OLD WASN’T GOING TO REACH DOWN AND SMITE HIM WITH HERPAGONASYPHILAIDS 

JUST BECAUSE HE MADE THE MISTAKE OF 

PENETRATING YOUR FRESHLY NAIRED HOLE WITH HIS 6 BY 2 INCHES OF BARE DICK. 

AND YOU THINK ABOUT 

THE MONO YOU GOT FROM THAT 

HALF-EMPTY-HALF-BACKWASH BOTTLE 

OF BLUE RASPBERRY SVEDKA WITH 

AMBIGUOUS BROWN STAINS ON THE RIM 

YOU PUT IN YOUR VIRGIN MOUTH LAST APRIL BECAUSE YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD MAKE 

A COOL SELFIE WHEN YOU WERE 

PLASTERED AT 2 AM 

AND SURELY NOBODY 

BROUGHT ENOUGH ROHYPNOL 

TO TAINT 750 MILLIGRAMS OF LIQUOR. 

YOU THINK ABOUT SHOVING A CARROT 

IN FALLOW SOIL, LOOKING DOWN 

AND SAYING “GROW.”

AND IN THAT MOMENT 

YOU HAVE BEEN TEXTING KYLE 

FOR A WEEK NOW AND YOU HAVE SHARED 

TEN WORDS OVER THE PHONE AND 

HE HAD A NICE VOICE, YOU REMEMBER THINKING, 

SO ONCE YOU’VE TUGGED 

OFF THAT HORRIBLE JUMPSUIT 

AND GOTTEN BACK INTO YOUR EMPTY BED, 

REFUSE RATTLING AROUND UNDERNEATH THE MATTRESS, YOU WANT TO USE YOURS 

TO SAY ALOUD, TO NO ONE, 

THAT YOU’RE NEVER 

GONNA SEE HIM AGAIN 

BUT YOUR LIPS GO TO FORM THE WORDS, 

PUCKERING UP TO THAT O-SHAPE OF MIMETIC PERFECTION LIKE YOU SEE ON THE HUB, 

AND YOU REALIZE THAT YOU NEVER ACTUALLY SAW HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE. 

AND YOU DON’T WANT TO LOOK STUPID DO YOU?

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Tendons - Erin Marshall