Innocence, Shannon Malloy

it felt just like childhood
protruding pending puberty
hints of body odor in sweat
a training bra
the first hard-on
pre-ejaculate stains
cigarette smoke
blood stained panties
syphilis and gonorrhea.
feigning grown-up tears from
adolescent eyes
and hiding date rape
in ice cream and cotton candy

Shannon Malloy is a poet and writer living and working out of Aurora, Colorado. Her work revolves around the darker compulsions of humanity and explores the body and disfigurement. Shannon is one of few survivors of internal decapitation and she uses language to highlight the physicality of trauma.