Map
by Gessica Sakamoto Martini
During a breathwork session, my hands are cold and tingly. The woman leading it says it’s because I fail to seize the things I want, to move my life ahead. I nod, feeling shy, and wish I had heavier clothes to keep my body from revealing our inadequacy. On my way home, I clench my hands until they are blank. A snail crossing the road is going nowhere. I hold it in my hand, where it rests for a moment before leaving a trail of saliva on my palm like a map of well-digested thoughts. I keep it untouched as long as I can, until the sun dries it away.
Gessica Sakamoto Martini is a writer and poet from Italy. Her work has been nominated for Best of the Net and appears or is forthcoming in Gulf Coast, Whale Road Review, HAD, DMQ Review, South Florida Poetry Journal (SoFloPoJo), and elsewhere. She holds a PhD in Anthropology from Durham University (UK) and is the Editor-in-Chief of Orion’s Belt magazine.