Sexology by Penney Knightly

Empty cup

that is how I think of the organ

turned over like a mound of dirt,

sleeping and awake, earthly exhale,

between two ham legs.

You would have thought

there would have been a lesson,

a mandatory course, the steps to work it out:

we give tests for driving, circles sliding

into streets on edges with sharp corners.

Keep those eyes moving

crosswalks, jay walkers, signs and lamps,

with heated color swatches

interspersed with cool

for going

but in this terrain,

this murky bush,

this hot house of sweat

with pheromone bomb,

we walk along

huddled and frightened,

amused and alarmed,

learning by feel,

electrified but dumb,

deaf, and blind

in the dark.

Healing stories from our community

Every artwork, poem, and story created here helps illuminate paths for others. Our blog shares these beacons of hope and raw honesty, honoring each unique voice and experience in the journey toward healing.

Read more stories from our survivors

Logo for Awakened Voices Literary Magazine. Features a silhouette of a face on the left with colorful, overlapping waveforms extending from the mouth to the right.

Agnieszka Krajewska is a poet, essayist, and combat epistemologist. She received an MA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University in 2004, and was

Create, connect, heal

Find your place in our circle of creators, where every artistic choice is valid and every emotion is welcome. Healing isn’t linear, nor a path you have to walk alone.

See studio hours

Donate to support survivors