WANTING | Emily Bieniek

Emily A. Bieniek is a queer writer and artist based in Chicago. Her work can be found in SAND Journal, Plain China, Columbia Poetry Review, Ransack Press, The Lab Review, and The Garland Court Review. She hosts a bread baking podcast, publishes a yearly zine each winter, and is currently writing her first full length novel. Check her website to stay up to date on Emily's work, www.emilyabieniek.com.    eve’s daughter   nails rake through knotted greasy hair, leaving parallel trails of bright white scalp and jet black hair from ears to crown. through the ornate mirror a string of pearls lounges over the tufted floral jewelry box as if they were painted there on commission, while she tames split ends back into a bun. “wipe that pout off your face,” she says through the mirror. she scratches harder and the pout remains lacquered like the ballerina that springs forth from a jewelry box. she fixes the tamed bun with a quick twist and snap. in the mirror she reaches for the pearls, lowers