EMERGING ARTISTS & WRITERS: SERENA LIN
SLUT
open god
twist off the soda tab
to hear the hiss of
all the things you were
too afraid to say &
all the times you
begged for absolution
after skin on skin on
skin on skin &
the taste of metal
toward ashes you run
your feet have always
taken you to places
still hollow from bombshells
still licking radiation off fingers
still rocking back &
forth trying to forget
obliteration
stop trying to unburn things
you’re going to run out of
layers of skin to sear off
boys—
like tall swamp grass
boys—
like raw cheeks
boys—
like highway signs
boys—
like clawing for breath
making a shrine out of
dirty sheets and
underwear
worship
you just want to be
touched
with other people’s hands.
Serena Lin is sixteen years old and lives in New Jersey with her family and dog. She has been recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and was a finalist for the New York Times 2016 Student Editorial Contest.