Every Villain is Gay

by Hunter Burke

I’ve seen that sea witch
somewhere else. I remember
her dancing on the bar, conducting
her throng of fairies and poofs
with a plastic bucket that read
Reparations for an Old Hag.
Under the technicolor gels, her face
fell like melting wax: eyebrows sliding
down cheekbones, blush repatriating itself
across the nose, false lashes replacing
the mustache she’d shaved that morning.
The only voice she stole was Chaka Khan’s.
It’s all in me, she promised. Reaching for her
with the only dollar bill in my wallet,
she kissed my hand, purple lipstick
staining for the subway ride home,
a sea slug smudge to carry
with me into dreaming.

Author Bio:

Hunter Burke (they/he) is a queer poet and performer originally from Friendswood, Texas. Their work has been previously published in Moist Poetry Journal, Passengers Journal, Impossible Archetype, The Beacon, and on poets.org. They were the recipient of the 2019 William C. Weathers Memorial Prize for Poetry. Hunter currently lives in New York City.

Artwork by Larissa Hauck