KELLI RUSSELL AGODON

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My Life is Made Up

of Nail Polish Names​

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Tonight, I’m wearing I Would Have Given You Oral Sex But You Fell Asleep During White Lotus—so now I put on All Alone with Martini. After our vacation fight, I wore I Forgot I Love You Because I Was Crying. Then after dinner: Hey! Those Were My Leftovers! Out on the porch, I painted my toes with Wait, That’s Not My Black Cat. I’ve had evenings of Sleeping in Makeup and Emotionally Unavailable in Beige Sheets. Maybe you want me when I’m painted in I’m Not Thinking of My Next Meal (which is rarely) or Recklessly Flirtatious (which is sometimes). Tell me how much you desire me when I’m wearing Sex Before Breakdowns or when I swear because Damn! Is This a Group Text?! Or maybe I annoy you when I’m in I Need a Nap Blue but hey, I keep showing up, limited edition trying her best in Can You Just Fucking Love Me Red.

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Kelli Russell Agodon is a bi/queer poet from the Pacific Northwest. Her book Accidental Devotions will be published by Copper Canyon Press in 2026. Her previous collection, Dialogues with Rising Tides, was a finalist for the Washington State Book Awards. Kelli is the cofounder of Two Sylvias Press and teaches in Pacific Lutheran University’s MFA program, the Rainier Writing Workshop. She is also the cohost of the poetry series Poems You Need with Melissa Studdard.

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