Raki is a Jewish, queer, experimental fiction and poetry writer. Her work has appeared in several publications, including Blue Lyra Review, El Balazo, Duende, and others, was shortlisted for the Black River Chapbook Contest, and received an honorable mention for Glimmer Train’s Short Story Award. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Naropa University and currently lives in Minneapolis. You can find more of her work here: http://rakitime44.wixsite.com/mysite/writing
1.
Before you were he when you were still sort of she
you lived at the surface of your thin skin, heart in your breast pocket half hanging out and no one really believed that pronoun.
There was no pronoun for you.
We were spring chicken fuzzy babies in torn up Carharts and hoodies without sleeves Tony Danza but we were our own bosses.