Midwestern Sex Ed
M.A. Dubbs
Like most Midwestern kids
I learned about sex
from church, health class, and porn.
Sunday school taught me
that we are born pure
but we fuck it up along the way,
masturbating our way into
mortal sin.
Had to tell the father I touch myself
to absolve my shame
but not sure who to tell
that I was touched.
Health class told me we are all virgins.
That abstinence is the only way
to not get pregnant.
That every time I’m fucked
I lose a bit of myself.
The teacher passes around a piece of chocolate
and asks us who wants to eat
something that has been touched
by so many hands.
Porn taught me that girls liked it
even if they didn’t know it yet.
Even if I didn’t
after a few thrusts
everyone will start having a good time.
My eyes will roll
to the back of my head
and I will thank the world
for violating me
with a fake moan.
M. A. Dubbs is an award-winning Mexican American and LGBT+ writer who hails from Indiana. Dubbs writes poetry, flash fiction, and interactive/visual media. Her writing has been published in literary magazines and anthologies across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. She served as a judge for Indiana's Poetry Out Loud competition and published her debut book Aerodynamic Drag: Short Fiction and Poetry in 2021.