sweet tooth

i’ve always had a sweet tooth / i often pay the candy aisle a visit / impromptu trips to 7-11’s / gas stations at 3am / in nz, a dairy would be my port of call / that still baffles me / no cows in sight / as a child, transplanted from the uk to nz / i developed a real interest / in different kinds / the variations in taste and texture / what exists outside of comfortable / have you ever tried a pinky bar? / a strange yet compelling amalgamation / of marshmallow and caramel / what does this have to do with my pronouns? / wait a sec, saltwater by chicane just came on the supermarket radio / did you know most of the lyrics are in irish gaelic? / that’s a step away from welsh, my homeland’s own / everything is but a step away / she is a step away from they / like snickers and mars are always together / like siblings or / two sides of the same coin or / a couple of insidious bullies / encouraging me to have sweet things when i know i shouldn’t / that’s so high school / who made up these rules? / i’m a girl, i’m a woman and sometimes i’m a worm / bedrotting with a good book / i’m she and it doesn’t hurt to be they either / hey, worm / i love you, ya know? / especially when the world acts like it doesn’t / it’ll come around / “open my eyes, saltwater stings” / let’s blame it on the song and not my feelings / cool cool / she’s they too, then? / heck yeah / i grab snickers and mars and carry them together to the checkout / where i make small talk with the assistant who nods at my purchases and says / “they’re made by the same company” / that ruins the illusion, doesn’t it? / even if it’s the truth / i grip their wrappers tightly in my sweaty palms and realise they’ve changed / from soft plastic to stiff paper / i’ve changed too / we’re all just a step away / from acceptance / you know mars is a planet, right? / i don’t know what snickers is supposed to be…/ does it matter? / there’s a collective shrug / i’ve always had a sweet tooth.

About the author

Laura Bibby (she/they) is a Welsh-born, queer writer of poetry and stories that weave their love of nature with the strange, fantastical, and ominous. They are the founding editor of Strange Daze Magazine and run BabyGamer – a blog about video games and writing. They are currently working on the first book in a queer fantasy series which they hope to self-publish soon.

Cover photo by Filip Mishevski on Unsplash. Secondary photo by Ozkan Guner on Unsplash.