from favela to gritty cityscape
freckles and a rough tongue
taught me a better way to fall
head first,
heart to follow
providing comfort: my skin was always the wrong shade of brown,
unloved mestizo
never knew i could own a room
on my own accord
a smile and a sweet flow
called me a throwback to a different generation of women
because i made paella with real saffron,
stayed up late with a sign that read 'revolution in progress' on my door,
let you lay your head on my chest
rambling about women,
who couldn't make you pause.
we were lovers in a different life

strip

i, like my cheap heels on those gritty sidewalks, never stand a chance
transcendental miracles
i pray to saints i never knew i loved
winter beaches on fire
hands clenching three blue dahlias
an offer to shiva tonight
i wrote hundreds of your names in permanent marker
hair covered in soft yellow cotton i face east
i want to kiss the faces of strangers
magnificent sea, immaculate prison
beautiful ghetto on spiritual dirt
asked every god i know for there to be silence
with the hope that one remembered me
i called on ancestors and deities
lit incense and left fruit at your window
they could not hear me
godless city
i watched you burn