stephanie athena valente
take me to the blue beach
on yr motorcycle
where the dead live
under the boardwalk
tell my words to spiral
tell me everything you know
about sequence stars
or just bad men
i’m not the other woman
but i don’t know a thing
about yr tattoos
how they twist
when you kneel + pray
we all have crosses
to bear – i am full moons
wide hips lingering
beside you
my daddy told me
to stay away from men
like him, like you
i’d listen
but that’s so foolish.
***
Stephanie Athena Valente lives in Brooklyn, NY. Her published works include Hotel Ghost, waiting for the end of the world, and Little Fang (Bottlecap Press, 2015-2019). She has work included in Reality Hands, Maudlin House, and Cosmonauts Avenue. She is the associate editor at Yes, Poetry. Sometimes, she feels human. stephanievalente.com