by: Amanda Owens

Every lover is different
Every lover is the same

Some pout
Others tell you immediately what they’re upset about
Some give you roses
Others multiple orgasms
Some partners introduce you to their family
Other partners introduce you to their friends
Some make you feel included
While others see you once or twice
Poly, dating, just for the night
monogamous, flirting, what sounds right?

Every lover is different
In person, in public, in bed
Yet every lover is the same
You know the feelings in your head
Palms sweaty
Heart beating fast
Clothes too tight
Mouth all dry

Open zipper, open fly,
Short skirt
Oh my
It doesn’t matter the genitalia underneath
Because every lover is different
and every lover is the same.

Amanda Owens is a summer away from starting grad school at DePaul University. She’s struggling to discover reality in a society that hides behind a curtain of falsified perfection, by being a loud advocate for survivors of sexual assault, being queer and then writing about it, and volunteering for her community. You can always read more of her poetry and politics at http://wagingwarwithwords.wordpress.com.