Speaker 1: A sampling of sex tips from women’s magazines.

Speaker 2: Stick his penis through the hole of a doughnut, nibble around it, periodically stopping to suck.

Speaker 1: Sprinkle pepper under his nose just before he climaxes. Sneezing can amplify the feel good effects.

Speaker 2: Grab his penis in one hand and move it around like an Atari joystick.

Speaker 1: Make two fists around the shaft and twist them in opposite directions as fast as you can.

Speaker 2: Grab his penis in one hand and slap it with the other.

Both Speakers: In over fifty sex tips, my vagina is not mentioned once.

Speaker 1: Cover to cover, I am meant to make others feel good.

Both Speakers: As a woman, everything says I am defined by what is put inside of me.

Speaker 2: My capacity for holding cavernous comfort for a more important person.

Speaker 1: My body does not belong to me, but to the men that make meal of my flesh.

Both Speakers: As a girl, I learned sex to be a duty.

Speaker 2: My worth—

Both Speakers: Weighted in the number of mouths I made water.

Speaker 1: I learned to open for any man willing, believed he would fill all this empty.

Speaker 2: Sex was a bad dream I couldn’t wait to shake awake from. Each time a man unbuttoned me, I swiftly sewed myself back up.

Both Speakers: My body—

Speaker 2: A wound I was always trying to bandage.

Both Speakers: I knew nothing of feeling. When I had sex for the first time, fifth time—

Speaker 1: Fifteenth time, I was a ghost. From the outside I saw men slip themselves in. I watched them come and never felt them leave.

Both Speakers: It took me twenty-three years to consider my body.

Speaker 2: The first time I let a lover see me naked.

Speaker 1: When I was touched with careful hands.

Speaker 2: Evening bellowed with laughter.

Speaker 1: I found my voice.

Speaker 2: Each knot slowly loosened with every yes.

Speaker 1: I was not territory to claim.

Both Speakers: For the first time, sex was a safe place.

Speaker 2: I was an instrument my hands finally learned to play.

Both Speakers: Each bend a crescendo welcomed home.

Speaker 2: I’m silencing the throats that call me object.

Both Speakers: Cavern.

Speaker 1: Feast to feed the loudest catcall.

Both Speakers: I am learning to consider myself first.

Speaker 1: To say “no.”

Speaker 2: And say “yes.” To offer my partner instructions.

Speaker 1: A little slower. No, faster. No, slower.

Both Speakers: To say “clitoris” and not flinch.

Speaker 1: Clitoris.

Speaker 2: Clitoris. To ask for sex when I want to have sex.

Speaker 1: To ask for it from behind or on the counter or during that matinee screening of Casablanca.

Speaker 2: To ask him to go down on me.

Both Speakers: To masturbate whenever the fuck I want to. Renaming my sexuality is a dance I’m slowly learning the steps to.

Speaker 1: My voice is not mating call.

Speaker 2: My hips, not invitation.

Speaker 1: My hands.

Speaker 2: Thighs.

Speaker 1: Mouth.

Both Speakers: My vagina was not designed to please anyone without my say so.

Speaker 2: If you are sexualizing me right now—

Speaker 1: Simply because I am talking about sex—

Both Speakers: It does not mean I owe you anything.

Speaker 2: I am not asking for it.

Both Speakers: Unless I actually ask for it.

Speaker 1: I am unlearning the ways I prepare my flesh.

Speaker 2: I am teaching my tongue courage to ask for what I want.

Speaker 1: To demand what I need.

Both Speakers: I am learning to take my body back.