March 1st, 2023
I’ll be too tired to shave the meat off my thigh
The night has come, and with it I intend
To find new ways to justify myself:
I am dispelling personal superstitions,
Casting out the demons in my skin,
Weaving new narratives to put my faith in,
Self-sustaining by eating my own flesh
Until no food is left—but come morning,
I’ll be too tired to shave the meat off my thigh
And drink coffee instead, open my pores
To feel alive when the witching hour begins,
Believe in magic I’ll never see again,
And burn the latest draft of myself before
Anyone can read it, like all the greats
Before me did.
Samantha Marie Daniels is from Sacramento, CA. She has been most recently featured in Constellations, Sheepshead Review, and Broad River Review. Her work was selected as a finalist in Broad River Review’s 2024 Rash Award for Fiction.
