Sullivan Summer
Summer 2024 | Poetry
The Joy of Communal Girlhood / The Anguish of Teen Girls
this is a parable about more
that four letter word with all its connotations
the devices that ensure
the difference between the performance of success and the reality of it
one serves as outlet for the other
glammed up hand in hand
macabre euphoria
symbiosis in the form of product placement
carefully calculated release valve
mistaking magic for political movement
never actually doing anything about it
this is a parable about need
that four letter word with all its connotations
stuck on those devices
the difference between performance and
the reality of it
one the outlet for the other
skin glazed like donuts
decoration dysmorphia
neon bracelets up to the elbows
delight in the form of product placement
mistaking sex for political movement
never actually thinking anything during it
this is a parable about less
that four letter word with all its connotations
devices stuck between performances
mesmerized
serving as the outlet
tween movie fantasy
sad girl summer
all that product placement
prioritizing prioritization
mistaking pink for political movement
never actually subverting anything by it
this is a parable about self
all the connotations
devices
reality
one outs the other
subtitles on
popcorn spilled between the seats
product placement
trail of silver in the wake
mistaking age for movement
never actually experiencing anything
this is a parable
connotations
vices
feminist act
critique and misery
tossed on a plate to please
no makeup makeup
study upon study
cracks in the perfect
mistaking movement
never actually anything
Mom, I don’t feel like I’m alive
Sullivan Summer is a domestic, transracial adoptee raised in rural New England by white, adoptive parents. Her writing focuses on themes of race, adoption, identity reclamation, US history, politics, and pop culture. Sullivan is an alumni of the Brooklyn Poets Mentorship Program, Tin House Summer Workshop, and Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. Her work has appeared in Dead End and Raising Mothers, with work forthcoming in the Bacopa Literary Review, The Plentitudes, and Redivider. You can find her on Instagram at @thesullivansummer. She lives in New York City.