Bargaining by Melody Greenfield

When a boyfriend was slipping away, or

simply wanted me to leave, I’d use

my body

to bargain.

His only desire –

wanting me gone –
was no match for

the wanting I created

in him. 

The power of seduction. 

If I give you my body,

the power of my sex:

Can I stay? 

Melody Greenfield, who has previously been published in Poke, holds an MFA from Antioch University LA and has been featured in Brevity; The Los Angeles Review; the Los Angeles Review of Books; Meow Meow Pow Pow, where she was nominated for a best small fiction award; The Manifest-Station; Pink Plastic House; and elsewhere. She publishes both poetry and nonfiction and enjoys Pilates and singing, in addition to her writerly pursuits. Melody can be found on the socials at:https://www.facebook.com/melody.greenfield.520/ and at melody.greenfield_writer on IG.