We left the window open last night - again Even before we open our eyes, No alarm, no artificial time That gray dog with spider legs is Barking at her reflection on the Bakery windows next door The dark-chocolate birds are gossiping About the lazy worms We can hear the waves crashing Against the rocks …
Author: yutzil valeria roman
Learning to Walk
First rule of neighborhood dogs: Don't run. The one who runs always gets a nasty bite. The kind Tía will blink at through cigarette smoke and heavy black eyeliner. Her exhale will be clipped. She will hand you the soft bottle of Vitacilina she keeps at her hip, like a pistol in the wild west.
Silver and Gold
See me In the violet clouds glued to the reaction above, In the darkness that eats my fingers and does not stop Until everything feels like it’s floating Above my chest—outsideoutside I’m outside. And I don’t remember opening the door. Up is now dark and empty. What do I remember? Touch, no skin, metal. We …
Grown
She grew up thinking a white rabbit lived On the surface of the moon, alone and Elusive; sometimes hiding behind the Rotating curtain of the world, always Awake when the sun revealed the bubble, Blue and swirled with shapes of white and green. I grew up thinking borders were the lines That shaped my Powerpuff …
Just a Sentence
What do you want to be when you grow up? A high school English teacher who teaches Spanish and Nahuatl in protest?
Barniz de azúar
She painted galaxies on her fingernails. He hated the smell. A star—bigger than their sun—exploded on her right thumb. He didn’t notice.
What Tuesday Feels
Everyone prints Frida Kahlo’s face. I heard the buzzer and the scoreboard before I threw up at the Rockets game. Race is not a biological concept, And the sky changes like our attention. The basketball smashed my muscle not my bone, Who knew glasses sometimes don’t let you see. He said he only eats hot …
Why I Can’t Be President
“Simple, you were not born here. You were born in the land of sun and cacti.” Isn’t the sun everywhere? “Look, there are lines.” What are the lines drawn with? “The lines were drawn before us.” And do they work? “Well, I can live with an open window.” So why are the muscles beneath your …
Oily Faces
Oily Faces S H I N E. My brown skin is filtered Through a layer of excess oils. I have more to control and I am more. Regular soap doesn’t work, Some dish soap will do. My mom says we don’t have enough For the dishes anymore. Napkins soak up the oils That peek through …
Your Human Dictionary is Due Tomorrow
When an adjective becomes a noun, The human dies. The body becomes plastic and The soul becomes powder. And yet, both are seen as solid threats In a liquid society. Differences are celebrated, As long as they can be easily digested And detected. The earth moves, Land is claimed and tamed and named— Bodies are …
The Sunflower Library 