
in every panel—she is falling,
she is being thrown, she is shot,
she is shot so many times
In my dream last night,
I was in your arms
but you refused to take off
your mask
you said you weren’t sure
if it was still you
underneath it
The superhero’s girlfriend
calls him by his nickname,
she works as a reporter
or a nurse or a sometimes a teacher
she is getting more agency, everyone
keeps saying
Once you kissed down
my thighs and I tried not
to think about how I couldn’t
remember what your voice
sounded like before you
began to save everyone
The superhero’s girlfriend wears
outfits that are cute but not sexy
jeans and blouses
sundresses and sandals
sexy is for villains
for the women the superhero
needs to outwit
he never needs to outwit her
Sometimes I close my eyes
when you’re in me and
I imagine myself falling
from buildings and bridges
into water, into streets
and in my head
I don’t let you save me
Chloe N. Clark is the author of Collective Gravities, Your Strange Fortune, and more. Her forthcoming books include Escaping the Body, Every Song a Vengeance, and My Prayer is a Dagger, Yours is the Moon. She is co-EIC of Cotton Xenomorph.