Running
Collecting the shadows
America lived in a shack between the hen house and the roosters den
Lauren’s mom came and picked her up because she said a shirtless man was swiping the air with a sword
But it was just America with his machete
Grooming the wild grass
So the chickens could graze comfortably, safely, peacefully
*
We called him America because he didn’t speak a lick of English
His Spanish had an accent that made it hard for the free to comprehend
It was heavy with slang from communist Cuba,
the kind of Spanish that wasn’t afraid to show its darkness to the external world
English keeps the darkness inside, contained within our skin
*
Lauren never sat with me in the cafeteria again
God turned us into shadows
Her lunchbox never had any love you’s scribbled on a post-it
Maybe that’s why she left
Because America had a weapon but he used it for love
***
I write about the sea, I write about space
I’m not a writer but I’m stuck with all this gravity
The ocean yearns, space is lonely
I, myself, am hell,
And aim to reign over this homestead
*
The sky is turning hot pink and the trees are turning black
I can smell the dew in the air as the sun begins its descent
My breath feels fast as if my lungs are rubbing against my ribs
*
I zoom by the trees, wild grass pricking at my ankles
Shoes heavy with mud
The foliage is everywhere
I’m in a maze
*
I spread my arms out at my sides
Thick air causing friction against my skinny limbs
Push harder at my speed
Animals reveal themselves to find safety
*
I’m lighter and lighter until my feet barely touch the ground
I barely notice I'm getting lost
Succumbing to my thoughts:
*
I think about God, since God doesn’t have skin
And I aim to expand the entirety of 25 acres
*
I think America coming from Cuba
Just to take care of chickens and sleep in a shack
Is an act of holiness
It’s called allegiance
It’s called piety
It’s called church
*
You know where the real shame is?
Thinking you’re God when you’re only 9 years old,
lost within 25 acres of avocados and mangos and yucca
*
God is not king of the universe
Not the ruler of spirits
Only idiots channel God for power
Only idiots realize they’re lost within a misty grassland
With no stars in sight
*
Lauren feared God and called her mom
The mom who has no time for the love you’s
She saw God was shirtless, half drunk but full of duty
Who do you pray to?
*
I pledge allegiance to America
King of avocados
Ruler of chickens
He shot a bullet into the sky
The echo guided me back home
This is so beautiful. I love how you write. Thanks for sharing it.