Alone in the house, hormones firing, I prioritize a moment of self pleasure. This is my first endeavor with a battery-powered toy since the lightning bolt of carpal tunnel jolted through my right arm. A current now runs from shoulder to thumb, pins and needles zapping, vibrating my fingers from the inside, uncomfortably becoming one with the small plastic wand buzzing in my hand and between my legs. The batteries die before I am done. The vibrator stills. The growing climax disperses, a wave receding without a crash. With an utterly frustrating and useless electricity, my arm continues to hum.
Jamie Martin is a queer woman living in Portland, Oregon with their wife and daughter.