Punctuation
Johannah Simon
About the Author:
Johannah Simon (she/her) is a corporate strategist, adjunct professor, and professional dreamer. A Midwestern GenX multi-genre writer, her tiny pieces have appeared in Citywide Lunch, HAWKEYE, BULL, The Hooghly Review, Underbelly Press, A Sufferer’s Digest, and Fahmidan Journal. Connect via X @JohannahWrites, @johannah.bsky.social, IG @johannahcanwrite and at www.thewritingtype.com. X @ JohannahWrites
Bsky @ Johannah
IG @ JohannahCanWrite
Cover by Samuel Ramos (4jibaro.com)
Punctuation
her husband’s touch is a question mark
is this ok? can i? would you?
married 20 years and he still hesitates
tentative touches at the boundary of her nightgown
her massage therapist’s touch is a comma
pause, relax, and breathe
he methodically kneads her sore back and shoulders
she melts into the table
her lover’s touch is an interrobang
you think you can handle this‽ who owns this body‽ begging already ‽
it used to embarrass her
the crassness of it all
now his firm grip on her plush thighs makes her feel alive
desired
her own touch is a semicolon
you’re aging like your mother; you are still young and vital
she rubs anti-aging serum
across the roundness of her sagging curves
inventories the dashes, asterisks, and ellipses
running along the spidering veins of her legs and breasts
she misses her period.