 
            Jennifer E. Hudgens, born and raised in Oklahoma. She uses poetry as a means of survival in this weird and sometimes dark thing we call life. Jennifer is graduating from The University of Central Oklahoma with her Bachelors in Creative Writing May 2017. She will begin attending the Red Earth MFA program at Oklahoma City University Summer 2017, with plans to pursue her PhD. Jennifer has been published in several online and print journals. Her first full-length collection was release in 2016 by Swimming With Elephants Publications.
Jennifer is constantly striving to be a better human and poet.
He made it possible. He was formerly a fabulist. 
He was faceless, but he was ugly, graceless 
and he made everything disappear.  
aligning 
as fingers 
deftly dance 
on checkered 
smooth plastic 
disco stage 
Adam’s countenance: beer cask-heavy 
his eyes: glazed shallots 
his smile: a split itself 
Now take away the need 
for moisture and the deteriorating  
qualities of autumn. The veins   
and stems will release as well.  
Take away the release. Take  
away the seasons.
When Taylor Swift was at the gym in Japan  
she watched the muscled back of a man   
moving up and down a heavy machine 
made by other heavy machines for men.   
of spontaneous human combustion,  
of pictures with the Cherry Hill Mall Santa, 
of a stapler after getting my wrist stuck to my teacher’s green bulletin board, 
and on the tv 
a drag queen 
sharing her recipe 
for sun tea  
asks us if we want to  
watch her take a break 
and we take a break   
Honeywell closed their Minnesota plant quietly
and the addition of warning stickers on album covers
would save the children along with D.A.R.E., Nancy
and Tipper directing the conversation, for some reason.
I read, I traveled, I, Lina, thief’s daughter, a discarded toy by the campfire 
at night, my planets – burned by sparks, 
burned by coincidences, in my eyelashes – stalagmites of ashes. 
Because Phil Collins is for fools and old ladies.  
Because the ocean’s too wide a body of water  
for a commando to cross alone. Because gentlemen  
never kiss and tell, and soldiers never share  
their kill count. Because you teach the meaning  
of words like ‘amorous’ and ‘varnish’ and ‘leave.’  
 
             
      
      
    
  
  
    
    
     
      
      
    
  
  
    
    
     
      
      
    
  
  
    
    
     
      
      
    
  
  
    
    
     
      
      
    
  
  
    
    
     
      
      
    
  
  
    
    
     
      
      
    
  
  
    
    
     
      
      
    
  
  
    
    
     
      
      
    
  
  
    
    
    