Emma Younger (they/them) is a poet originally from Portland, OR, now living in Chicago, IL. Past work includes chapbook Stone Fruit Girls. Online in Hooligan Magazine, Stone of Madness, Rookie Magazine & beyond. You can find them on instagram @emmarain27.


IN THE DREAM
By Emma Younger

in the dream my brain has fungi sprouting. in the dream they email me back quicker than i expect. in the dream i get caught in the groove. in the dream instagram graphics are obsolete. in the dream i get dressed in the dark every morning and don’t even mind. in the dream i queer the narrative. in the dream i dance in empty rooms. in the dream i share cigarettes with the girl i love. in the dream my hair dresser tells me i’ll regret going so short. in the dream pisces are everyone’s favorite star signs. in the dream my bus pass is a
ritz cracker covered with spray cheese. in the dream the new season of top chef is on hulu already. in the dream i spread a picnic blanket. in the dream i journal at the dining room table. in the dream no one remembers me in high school, but the people who love me say i was a real optimist. in the dream i cut my hair even shorter. in the dream my heart grows three sizes. in the dream my cats double and multiply. in the dream i’ve always known i’m a lesbian. in the dream she calls my name, i turn around.
IN THE DREAM I’M EXPLAINING THE CONCEPT OF RESILIENCE TO JOAN OF ARC:

i was wishing for the ability to withstand and now she’s tells me to dream bigger. if i dream, i can expand. i cross my fingers behind my back and try again,

in the dream there are libraries and there are courtyards. the sunlight in the alcoves of the library is contagious. the sunlit warmth is where stingrays swim through the dust particles, above the heads of young people reading comics for the first time. to feel held in a space.

in the dream kids are only ever as scared as you can get during a good game of hide and seek. fear just goes back to big dogs and deep water. water so deep and so clean the orca whales keep multiplying. as for

the dogs, their bark is worse than their bite.

in the dream the tap water in every neighborhood is drinkable.
in the dream my eyes aren’t heavy from side effects. my hands are so steady, i study to become a tattoo artist. all my meds free, i don’t even know how to beg for a smaller copay, for a more competent doctor, for someone who will listen.

in the dream joan tells me that now is the perfect time to become more human. i wake up.