by Anmol Priya Desai
No dating until you’re thirty
was the rule my parents erected
like a concrete wall built for destruction.
It was the reason my first boyfriend
had to lead me in darkness through brush
with the canvas of our Converse soaking
in grass dewed by yesterday’s rain.
Under a tree, I discovered the electricity
of my breasts, how nerve pulsations
can write letters dipped in honeysuckle
from nipple through spine to clit.
Metamorphosis of lips to portals
opening worlds all goo and lightning.
The Venusian taught me
how soft hands can bend flesh to fire
and how a boy always finds a way
To leap over a wall.
Anmol Priya Desai is a nonbinary poet and astrologer. They are currently an MFA candidate at Oregon State. You can find them on Instagram @anmolpriyadesai