STERLING-ELIZABETH ARCADIA

— SELECTED PUSSYCURSES

pussycurse no. 5

its not just me other people feel

different when they touch her

too many of the examples i have

are the same someone i love

touched her then suddenly wanted

to tell me how they wanted to die

she hasnt killed anyone yet but

im pretty sure thats what a curse is

pussycurse no. 1

like other cursed objects strange

happenings tend to follow her

last night i locked my door

to watch blue is the warmest color

and ended up letting her suck on my

fingers since she was so loud and

greedy after i heard my roommate

in the kitchen after i came just

the one time i noticed my door

hanging ajar and studied the

gash of light coming through i

unwrapped butterscotches

between my legs and tucked

her in to sleep so careful

to avoid any jump scares

things tasted like golden

toffee sweet and sticky

pussycurse no. 3

she doesnt even have to be touched

thats how cursed she is once

one of my roommates

accidentally saw her

and she made them want

to kill me they tried but i was

too slippery for their

fingers i never said

she only cursed other people

pussycurse no. 9

worshiping her is a lot like worshiping

jesus not that he was cursed just

her believers know textually that she

came once before and they will die

waiting to see it themselves so i guess

she is actually going to

kill someone eventually

THE BIRDS OUTSIDE MY BEDROOM WINDOW SING AFTER U AND I END THINGS AND BEFORE 4AM

 

sterling-elizabeth arcadia (she/they) is a trans poet and diy tattooer in washington dc, where she watches birds and cares for her cats. she is currently working on a chapbook of queer ekphrastic love poems based on her friends’ instagram posts. her work has been published in Stone of Madness Press and is forthcoming in Fuck Your Dreams Zine, The Oakland Review, and elsewhere.