for gambie
i wake up in a pew with a bible leather-bound
and sticky between my thighs,
the satin tassel bookmark i braided out of
boredom coming undone…
in my dream God was the sun,
fighting to pass through the stained glass around us
He was the light,
contorted by the reds, blues, and yellows,
waxy on the pane
we are in a hurry, you say,
people talk too much and too fast,
(i’m drowsy, i’m hungry, i’m slowing at the
sound of the shuffling congregation)
and i set my sketchers on fire behind you
just to keep up
the cloth seats in your suv
hold golden stains
from who knows how many accidents
so i tell you tales of where they’re from.
in this particular fantasy, our destination is infinite –
the car’s rubber tires are
eating the mirage of us,
shimmering on the hot blacktop.
“Little lady,” you say,
“Name the trees.”
dogwoods with their clustered white flowers
becoming cotton clouds
against a stark blue sky
or crape myrtles
(your favorite)
scattering magenta kisses
along the roads
in loving verse
(my favorite)
the magnolia
outside of st. paul’s united methodist church
where we escape every sunday
from the people who talk too much and too fast
while the magnolia’s
ivory petals bloom through my chest
and into the cavity of my heart
i don’t go to church anymore
but i’d like to believe there’s a god
and that maybe he speaks to me
when the sky breaks open in the morning,
and the dewy, molten sunrise
calls me from my dreams
•
Edited by: Rachel Goulston
so beautiful wowowow (my favorite), if u will
YAYYYY CECI and CECILIA DID THAT!
wonderful work <3