Vaginismus

Impenetrable cocoon 
of tissue. 
Gummy spit, 
wasp-making 
spiral of security. 
Threatening hum, 
thrum of inner workings
conspiring to 
a common goal. 
No sweet honey. 
No merrymaking 
dizzy dazed dance 
of pollen pleasure 
coated bodies, 
afternoon sun 
crawling into a soda can 
sucking sugar from 
aluminum siding. 
Stinging surprise 
lips, eyes, bottle 
of chocolate syrup 
on the edge of a 
tug-away carnival 
cart. Sweet dough. 
Mâché melon 
sutured to a limb. 
Don’t poke it. 
Don’t peel it. 
Don’t aggravate 
the militia 
of tiny swords 
raging inside. 

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Jenna Baillargeon (she/her) is a chronically ill, queer, New England poet. Her poetry has appeared in Crab Orchard Review, PORT smith, Naugatuck River Review as a finalist for the 12th Annual Narrative Poetry Contest in 2020, and elsewhere. Jenna earned her B.A. in Creative Writing and Workshop Praxis from Hampshire College and currently works as a poetic assistant and freelance editor.