THE MEATPACKING INDUSTRY VOL II

By Amanda Rios

i am a bacchanal personified a never-ending party of swapping my identity like shitty thrift store clothes i change it whenever it makes the joke funniest come and drink the wine from my lips the Pope excommunicated me when he took a sip sip sip and my teeth impaled his holy tongue— i defile my body constantly with black ink and steel it gives me a high it gives me control that i’ve never had as i take my meat saw saw saw off all the parts that serve me no purpose luscious voluminous chicken breast that i cut c ut c u t off my so my chest bleeding pretty forbidden string of pearls drip drip dripping from my incisions

Art

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Jack Bullard IG: @bowtie.pasta

my meat, thick and crimson raw, splattered on a wheeling cart unforgiving udder, departed, a soul for a soul a piece of the body for rebirth if only, if only if only i had the courage to pick up the bone saw i hate looking in the mirror i love looking in the mirror i’m not pretty enough it boosts my ego i’m not masculine enough cause i know i’m pretty and sexy and hot and masc everyone still thinks i’m a girl the power of queerness everyone still thinks i’m a girly girl woman girl the power of flattening your chest the power of the illusion of control look me in my dark brown eyes, saucers, dirt galaxy, and tell me that i’m pretty. aren’t i pretty? don’t i look masculine enough? don’t i look like a man? Mami, stop rolling your eyes, and say yes. please say yes. tell me i’m a handsome man, that i’m the son you always wanted. i don’t believe you.