cw: masturbation, transphobia, institutionalization

i brought my blanket to california but 

first 

i brought it to philadelphia & it turned out

philadelphia already had

blankets

so clearly i was lied to 

& didnt need

to bring

my blanket

honestly

do these assholes even buy their own 

blankets

& yes

yes

i bought this dress

with my own money

filled it up with my very

own titties 

why 

must my body always be

such a scandal my 

titties 

a constant titty 

controversy you couldnt

even conceive of the 

words

that describe my nipples  

so fuck 

off stop 

mentioning the weather stop accusing 

me

of masturbating under everything just go

AWAY

sterling-elizabeth arcadia (she/they) is a trans poet and diy tattooer in washington dc, where she watches birds and cares for her cats. she is currently working on a chapbook of queer ekphrastic love poems based on her friends’ instagram posts. her work has previously been published in Stone of Madness Press and is forthcoming in several other independent lit mags and zines.