Mixed is a dirty word. A constant reminder of two separate things forced together. A bastardization of purity. Did you know you split me in half every time you utter that word? Disoriented Essence/less I have to ask myself Which part of me was thrown in First? Diaspora or kinship Kinky hair/light skin Better yet … Read moreDirty Words by Vincente Perez
Deep in the earth Under dirt and falsehoods We waited For our mothers For our Fathers For light We could smell rain seeping through The warmth of the sun And the stale air of time passing Just out of reach We screamed While you prayed You thanked your god for the land you live on … Read moreThe Earth Keepers By Ariel Perez
Shadows grow and wane Like radish seeds and lemon trees Like your vines exploring my skin The wind swaying along the shore I hear the stomps and the skids The boom and the crash The vibration of decay Of a beautiful facade A taste gone sour Aphids on its leaves Rot within its roots A … Read moreWhen the Waves Crash and the Candlelight Flickers by Claudio Yurdadön
Love born of amniotic fluid and blood, mixed equal parts of both. They say a baby doesn’t know itself apart from its mother, and this is true of her too. How she ached, breasts leaking, at the sound of your phantom cry. Her arms like phantom limbs, foreign til the minute you laid in them. … Read moreLove in Liquid Form by Liz Márquez
I stare out the window of my second floor apartment, feel such an insignificant and nebulous thing. Trapped in blackness, my passions garble and wilt. Inside the glass, reflections crack open its own cynical chant. Screw you, girl. Eye lids red and swollen, I can’t leave even if I wanted to. I’m infected, have no … Read moreBare Bulbs and Salty Tears by Juanita Rey