White roses grew 
from mountain earth 
behind my Mamaw’s home. 
She sighed, they bloomed too few.
But still, I found them worth 
the plucking. I strayed to roam 

through grapevines, tall oaks, 
hillsides wrapped in briars, 
dirty hands full of forbidden flowers. 
Mamaw yelled to my folks, 
unable to dim my childlike desires. 
I sat with painted water for hours

waiting for chosen roses to color.
Purple—Mama’s favorite. 
I gifted her my happy mess, smile wide. 
Blind to how life fades duller.
Blind to how I should savor it.
Blind to how things collide.  

Mama kept dead flowers in a fresh mason jar,
dark and wilted, like her swollen hand.
A single waterlogged stem. 
Mama would say, “Look how sweet these are.”
She only knew love, could not understand 
even dead things will thirst if you let them.  

trust for duskfall

Legs on top of your thighs
Head rests on your shoulder
I close my eyes to be
in the moment
“I love you”
Tickles my tounge
Yet I still keep my lips shut
Tell me about your book
Wish we were them instead
Push me off your thighs
Pray you don’t hear my sighs
Sit up and lock eyes
Please just hold me

The black, tortoise-shell cat pads the train car aisle, side-eyes Cowboy and purrs.

I will watch you burn. 

With my back, turned to the flames. 
Walking and smiling.
Not even throwing one final glance at you. 

There’s a reason for why,  
only big boys get to play with matches.  

I will watch you, while your house burns to the ground.
  
The same way you,
observed me as I lost everything. 

I am a knobbly goddess
Queen of bone spurs and calcium deposits  

A reckless pilgrim
Shilling words on a streetcorner   

Most mornings I savor
Clouds with my coffee                           

Feast the nightly moon
With my cup of wine  

Li Po in my thoughts
My spiritual lush  

I watch shadows squander
Their murky secrets  

Cast fear of what lies
Waiting

Clean laundry from the heaping two-week old pile finally got put away today
    Take a bow
My bed is now clothing-rid and empty, ready for some hot and heavy, spicy play
    Take me now

Went out to find someone for the night, but they had an awful smell
    Take a mint
Tried to leave the conversation, but my exit didn’t go over well
    Take a hint

Travelled to the next bar, and approached another cutie with a bod
    Take my name
But their equally sexy partner returned, shooing me away with a single nod
    Take the blame

Back alone in my apartment with stomach pains from anxiety
    Take a shit
Guess we’ll just relax at home with a bong and a cup of tea
    Take a hit

There’s no need to rush to find someone to eat me out for lunch
   Take my time
This poem is ridiculously stupid and should end just as such
    Take a rhyme

hold my disingenuous smile 
as I sigh and try
to understand whatever my abuela has been rambling on about for a good while
I’ll laugh along as my friends tease me 
for my lack of a spice tolerance  
I’ll weep and weep as I think about how good of a daughter I could be 
If I didn’t gag at the thought of a chorizo 
If I didn’t roll my eyes at the gritos bellowed from the men outside 
I know I could have fun. 
if i just knew how to speak more than a sentence 
If I had the advantage 
I’ll keep trying and trying to be more than just the slivers that I have taken 
But i’m afraid i’ll never be enough 
for the culture I have been given