My skin itches.
I’m allergic to my mask.
The agony of safety.
What next?
I’m allergic to my mask
on a third date during a pandemic.
What next?
How are we gonna kiss?
On a third date during a pandemic.
This country is so dangerous.
How are we gonna kiss
without some sort of commitment to work toward?
This country is so dangerous.
We’re all gonna die anyway
without some sort of commitment to work toward
a secure future.
We’re all gonna die anyway.
So who needs mouth monogamy
for a secure future?
The only thing scarier than a pandemic is intimacy.
So who needs mouth monogamy?
The agony of safety.
The only thing scarier than a pandemic is intimacy.
My skin itches.
Valerie Nies is a comedian, writer, and gluten enthusiast whose writing has been featured in McSweeney’s, Reductress, Hash Journal, Anti-Heroin Chic, and Rue Scribe. Find her in Austin, Texas, ridding her clothing of cat hair. She’s on Instagram @valerieknees, Twitter @valerieknees, and at valerienies.com.
Image: “Diana Steenburg Introverts Inherit the Earth – March 2020” by D. Steenburg
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