1 Poem by Emily Joy Oomen
Emergency Contact
I’d greet you with
All the crystallized lightning
They tried to steal from you
Because all you got when you left the abortion clinic
Was a flyer thrown in your face by a protester
Saying Christ won’t save you
We’d drive away, leaving them all in the dust
And their coat hangers too
That dangle off their rearview mirrors like air fresheners
We’d ride with the top down
Announcing your pursuit of happiness
Because you have more than dollar store pregnancy test dreams
Our choices would be held
Hand in hand
No explanation needed
I’d greet you with
All the crystallized lightning
They tried to steal from you
Because all you got when you left the abortion clinic
Was a flyer thrown in your face by a protester
Saying Christ won’t save you
We’d drive away, leaving them all in the dust
And their coat hangers too
That dangle off their rearview mirrors like air fresheners
We’d ride with the top down
Announcing your pursuit of happiness
Because you have more than dollar store pregnancy test dreams
Our choices would be held
Hand in hand
No explanation needed
Emily Joy Oomen is a writer from the Pacific Northwest. Her work has been featured in BBC, The Wall Street Journal, the Athens International Video Poetry Festival, Vice, and many other publications. She has a B.A. in English from the University of Washington and helps curate videos for Button Poetry. You can find her on Instagram @poetic_espresso
