Permissions

Published in Cipactli Journal

Noun; verb; universal; consent; the act of seeking approval; holding nods inside to spark aflame; internal, external agreement, most commonly a necessity

She’s been knocking and knocking and knocking so long her knuckles turned from white to pink to red to scabbed purple to peeled back, pussed yellow and pink again. She’s been knocking and knocking, hearing the feet shuffle on the other side of the door, watching the shadows come and go between the one-inch gap, hearing words exchange before dissapearing in some distant corner of seclusion. She keeps knocking as the sun fades to night, as the moon rises behind her, as the street lamps illuminate she’s the only body knocking during hours deemed far too late. But she keeps knocking until she hears the floor creak, creak then pause. She puts her rigid knuckles to her side and thinks, this is it, this is my chance, they’re finally letting me in. And then a piece of white paper slips beneath the door jam and says,

“It’s been unlocked the whole time.”