I’ve been swallowing
glue
to fill up the places
that could leak
spreading it
from headtotoe
as a second layer
of hardening
skin
to keep me in
and seal you out
for good but
it’s sticking
in my throat
and I’m choking and
the outer layers peel
molting
in flakes
a ludicrous salt
ruining the taste

Jasmine Williamson (she/they) lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her two children, three cats, two guinea pigs, and a tortoise. She earned her MA in Creative Writing at Northern Kentucky University, where she now works as an admin in the English Department. In her spare time she can be found making art, traveling, or planning to travel. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Literary Mama and Sledgehammer Lit. You can find her on the interweb at @mosscollection