«El rechazo me liberó»
“Rejection set me free”
— The Monolators (2003)

I.
All this splendor seething. In
the airy green here is the head,

the heart, tendons, the blackened
shoulder that beats and breathes its reign –

and I – the child of an idle brain –
shook my head to scrap.

II.
Blue is my belly
intestines

entwined
I have been a
poor parent

to my desires
I wish to cut them out

translucent
alkalinic; the edge
of the blade at
point of entry.

III.
Patience roots in
this, so hard to slow
down these tangled
desires they demand
so much. Weary

at times, at tasks,
to do without,
make sacrifices
before
these
cravings
dry up.