i peeled the cut back until it bled and exposed broken bone; until it looked like a cat’s eye on a friday, unblinking as she lit a second bitter match; until the blood would soak through a bandaid; until it smiled like a woman in a sexy dress in the frozen food aisle, picking up bags of melted peas; until it bled out like a heavy period; grinned like an old wood cane slumped by a night table after a long walk in the park; until advil wasn’t enough to reduce my fever; until i squealed like an adult after buying themself a milk chocolate bar from the gas station; until it puckered like cheeks full of acidic green peaches; until the wrinkly bumper was an afterthought; until the blurry cars swerved left and returned to the double yellow line; until no one noticed me lying in the nighttime grass like another fully-lit cigarette.
Britney Trachtenberg earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from CUNY Queens College in 2024, with a major in English and a minor in writing. Currently, she works in public relations, representing nonprofits in the healthcare and education sectors. Her Instagram handle is @brittpng, and her LinkedIn URL is www.linkedin.com/in/btrac0113.
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