janan alexandra is a Lebanese American poet, educator, and musician. Her work has appeared in Ploughshares, The Adroit Journal, Beloit Poetry Journal, Gulf Coast, The Rumpus, Mizna, and elsewhere. Her debut collection of poetry, COME FROM, will be published by BOA Editions in 2025. You can visit her website at jananalexandra.com to learn more.

ENUMERATE

BITTER: A MAP

By JANAN ALEXANDRA

We tend to use the word “bitter” to denote taste, temperature, or feeling. Often, though not always, bitterness carries a negative charge, bringing us into proximity with a mostly undesirable set of feelings or experiences.