POLLEN COUNT

all flowers are sluts

all heartbreak inevitable

and when the ghost spits

in my eye it might be

the AC leaking

or your stamen, carpel

snot-nosed residue

once again missing

its mark, a trick

of June born

from peppery climax—

either way, with love

you’ve got to let go of winning

Annie Lou Martin reads and writes in Brooklyn. They are the author of the chapbook SAINT IBS (Bottlecap Press, 2024). Connect + read more via @martin_annielou. Free Palestine.