JESSIE MCCARTY

Grift, Shovel, Identify

I was an impenetrable system
of canals. I was a lawless romantic
in de-escalation. I was a phantom
boom disseminating matter from
Midwestern plumbing systems
under a deep, sleek, sneatcha.
I saw it, mid-city queerness
lár na cathrach aisteach,
as it was bubbling up from
nothing, o cuinne to corner.

Jessie McCarty (b. 1997) is an Irish-American writer and information professional. Their full-length debut, Pretty Punks, is forthcoming with Magra Books in December 2025 (edited by Sean Pessin & Paul Vangelisti).