I would like a breast pocket to hold my boarding pass and pen
so I may eat a plate of fries with
the certainty that nothing of mine might
just slip away, beyond reach, and
I would be left
questioning if anything—this body even—has ever belonged to me.

Emily Mathis is a writer and dancer. Her essay, “Men Smoking,” was the 2024 nonfiction winner of Sonora Review’s The Erotic contest. Her essays have been finalists for contests through the Sewanee Review, Fourth Genre, North American Review, Tucson Festival of Books, and Epiphany. Her essays have recently appeared in Sonora Review, Hunger Mountain, Epiphany, Los Angeles Review, Another Chicago Magazine, and others. She is seeking representation for her debut essay collection and working on a novel. Find her at emilymathiswriting.com or on Instagram at @emily_a_mathis.