“Do I Want To Be Her” by Kayla Simon

do i want to be her

or do i want to lie beside her in dreams, to grab the edges of her 
cheeks until our breath forms a single cloud of hunger, or do i want 

to sit on top of her & watch the rise-fall of her chest in dim light, 
to kiss her until our bodies fuse together, until the veins in our arms

imprint like sleep lines, or do i want to wrap my fingers around 
her wrist until pointer meets thumb & skin turns white 

with pressure, or do i want to slot myself between her thigh gap, or do 
i want her hipbones puncturing holes in my stomach like baby stars,

or do i want to excavate her bones from her body until there’s room for me 
to crawl inside, or do i want to sink my teeth into her, or do i want to be the mirror

to her twisted ribcage, or do i want to kiss lines down her stomach 
like i’m tracing a dream outline, or do i want her for myself, or do i want her 

body, or do i want her body?

KAYLA SIMON

Kayla Simon is a 2023 graduate of the University of Connecticut, where she majored in English with a concentration in Creative Writing and double-minored in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Communication. Her work has previously been published in New Square, Grub Street, Long River Review, Red Cedar Review and others. When she isn’t writing or reading, you can find her taking photos for her photography business or looking at the stars.

Headshot: Molly Mia

Photo Credit: Staff