x = agency
At one point, 100% of the men who’d fucked me
had raped me.
I didn’t do the math until I was well
under 50%. Eventually
I was dividing my legs just
to reduce that integer.
How many men have to bisect me
before statistical insignificance?
There are more variables than constants:
a: precise cloth-to-skin ratio
b: total ounces of liquid courage (his + mine)
y: the unwanted transversal of my lines
z: the sudden asymmetrical tilt of his facial features the moment I become
zn: a desert oasis mirage
zn+1: a three-course meal
What’s the equation for
hunger and thirst? Help me
solve for x.
For money, Krista Cox is a paralegal. For joy, she’s an associate poetry editor at Stirring: A Literary Collection and Pittsburgh Poetry Review, and Program Director of Lit Literary Collective, a nonprofit serving her local literary community. Her poetry has appeared in Columbia Journal, Rappahannock Review, The Humanist, and elsewhere. She’s on the web at www.kristacox.me
