menstrual musing

typing away 

beating the red deadlines

on a back-breaking lane 

too narrow and shallow,

so much for 

sweaty crevices,

swerving interests, 

sneaky devices.

but unstoppable:

surging pain 

throbbing temples 

letting go of the brakes

now lying down,

under the playful moon,

closing my eyes to see you:

pulling up my dress

to rest your chamomiled palm 

on the belly in distress.

a speedy release into the warm folds

of a hovering but fleeting cloud,

away from the real stains on my cold sheets. 

19 July 2015

Tempered Healing

Parents can pimp you, 

asking you to buy back the house, 

never mind if it was the same place where a kin destroyed your childhood;

Siblings can be the greediest, 

pouncing on property after property, 

once your parents breathe their last;

Friends can betray you, 

at once comforting you in your loneliness, 

but later sneaking under the sheets with your lover;

Women can be your worst enemy, 

inflicting pain and bruises 

that are uglier that the purplish black marks on your skin.

When destiny amounts to obligation and guilt, 

When love assumes a cost that is coveted, 

When kindness disintegrates into hate,
When solidarity becomes suspicious ---

You can only turn to yourself:

Hastening history with every hobby,

Seizing a small space in the company of books,

Chasing the sunsets and waves ---

Until the sinews and wings are healed,

And still be the child of the trees and the stars.

Written on 27 June 2015, photo by Judy Morente