POETRY BY EMMA FREDRICK

Tell Me About Them

I ask about them in the way you pick a scab, push your fingers into a bruise,
worry your teeth over a split lip.
Exploring the pain and releasing the beating wings of your breath,
which has been trapped,
burning — bursting in your chest.

Emma Fredrick is an academic & activist. Their creative works include poetry, prose, and photography which explore mental health, relationships, and queer identity. They have been published in the anthology Bible Belt Queers edited by Darci McFarland and have had photographs in multiple art shows in the Hudson Valley, where they currently reside. You can follow them on Instagram @emmafredrick and Twitter @emmagfredrick