BIG NIGHT! by Katie Foley (Ireland, 18)

a girl dances and i think about how she eats her fingernails for lunch
and they grow back just in time for dinner.
and after dinner she can paint meticulous black boundaries on them, only to be chewed off
throughout the night.
and as the nocturnal creatures march out with their neon halter necks and shivering legs, she is
permitted to join their ranks. she shoots straight; asks about your job and tells you what she’s
studying and doesn’t ask you to take your hand off her thigh and doesn’t tell you what she’s really
doing here.
she goes AWOL when her eyes start pushing back into her skull. vomits in the alleyway. one final
salute and the taxi driver pulls in. home. sleep. get some rest. big night tomorrow!

​Katie Foley is a queer poet based in Dublin, Ireland. They are currently studying English, Drama and Film in UCD. Their poetry has previously been published in the eighth issue of Hot Pot Magazine.