Eternal Radiance

For Giyazah I pray you, merciful God, always give me the strength To listen to my inner self, when everythingAround me becomes rebellious, Israelites at the entry of the promised land,Stifling the breath of my green hope. I’ve lived through the untimely departure of...

Damages

i. my injuries weren’t metaphors & yes i really do still live within a 1km radius of both, still within the chemical glow radiating from the pool where we exchanged spit on accident, obviously by the swirl at the drains, which accepted my vomit when Dad didn’t...

i think i should try therapy again

which is to sayi’m not sure poetry is enough anymore,which is to say, my life! is better than ever!which is to say, i’ve lived so long on the defensive that i’m not sure how to deconstruct this wall,how to chip away at twenty-some years of mortar,and i don’t think i’m...

Still Life

       “Let’s not marinade in delusion and call it bravery for my sake, please,” I say, picking at the newly formed scab on my knee. The ones that leave a crater behind. “He’s dead and no amount of tapping my fucking temple or breathing is gonna help.”   ...

How Memory Begins

a lane rope rackets across concrete. a hook clangs into place. i drive past a school; P.E. class in progress. tunnel vision ball game. your hand first to the wall. your feet splatting across pool deck to claim the one shower with decent water pressure. always racing....

Constant Stalker

The bus is late. The afternoon sun is merciless. “Bad accident,” one of the dozen of us waiting announces without looking up from studying the screen of his cell phone. “Bus had to be rerouted.” “How long?” a woman asks, futilely fanning herself with an envelope from...