Mitosis
by Maya Salameh

my desire & my fear sit next to each other 
in Spanish class. my desire, thick & fuschia,
sits my fear down for dinner. they share
a chardonnay, discuss the television. my 
fear & desire fuck. 

                                                                                                               I know my fear & desire
                                                                                                               would sit on a porch in South
                                                                                                               Dakota somewhere & fear
                                                                                                               wouldn't bring up the nighttime
                                                                                                               for the rest of their marriage. desire
                                                                                                               would just press him to her chest
                                                                                                               & answer with her ribs.  



my desire is tall. my desire makes 
a damn good omelet. my fear is dashing 
in teal, & I am so young. we braid 
our limbs at night.

---

Maya Salameh is the author of HOW TO MAKE AN ALGORITHM IN THE MICROWAVE (University of Arkansas Press, 2022), winner of the Etel Adnan Poetry Prize, and the chapbook rooh (Paper Nautilus Press, 2020). She has received fellowships and support from the Sewanee Writers' Conference, Breadloaf Environmental Writers' Conference, Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing, and the President's Committee for the Arts and Humanities. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Mizna, POETRY, The Offing, Gulf Coast, The Rumpus, AGNI, and the LA Times, among others. She can be found @mayaslmh or mayasalameh.com.