She always wanted something of mine. 
It started with loyalty, then a baseball card,  
then my Stones’ album. Finally, it was algebra— 
how to parse numbers, how to pass the test.  
I cracked open a Coke just to hear gas escaping  
from the green bottle. I was green as in young,  
as in envy, so I poured my soda. She guzzled  
twelve ounces until all that was left was the scent  
of sugar on her tongue. A window opened across  
the street, vanishing its own border. I hungered  
for any tendon or vocal chord that could say no.  
Instead, I’ve always longed for what I was never  
meant to give away. 

Alicia Elkort‘s first book of poetry, A Map of Every Undoing, was published in 2022 by Stillhouse Press with George Mason University, after winning their book contest. Alicia’s poetry has been nominated several times for the Pushcart, Best of the Net, and the Orison Anthology, and her work appears in numerous journals and anthologies. She reads for Tinderbox Poetry Journal and works as a Life Coach in Santa Fe, NM. For more info or to watch her two video poems: Alicia’s Website.