on papa

and all the men my heart has fluttered about,on the space you take up when you’re here,and its imposition when you’re not. for papa who i pray knew nothing thenof the inside of his body, and all its thriving rot, for you who shook the wanderlust into my(your) long leg bones…for you who branded me… Continue reading on papa

On sleep or not sleeping

There is something solid and safe in his frame, And in the early morning when I wake and he does not, The nook in his outstretched arm calls my name. Roll, slide over into sanctum, just some ligament and muscle he’s got. Warm, steady heartbeat, even his breath, a languid afterthought. For all that I… Continue reading On sleep or not sleeping

on stone

my mother thriving,my father now dusty bones,my parents are like my countriesand I am the land between the deserts and the prairies.America and my home Kingdom,they are nothing alike.Like my parents, they are divided by simple things, small ideas,that still keep them worlds apart.my worlds, my parents, both are wrought with ancient passions and dust,nothing… Continue reading on stone

on aging

I fear for my memories of the indian ocean, drying and curling at the edges like the yellowed pages of my favorite book. i fear the helpless sag of the skin around my smile,and, with something to lose, i lie awake marinading in terrorover mental atrocities likewhat to do to accept your mother’s mortality,how to… Continue reading on aging