In the twenty years
I have lived
there are a few electrical instants:
the way Andrew's voice first
caressed my heart
the day my sister fled
to this foreign land
the excited whispers of
Dunns River Falls
desperately trying to escape
the day I fled
to this foreign land
the smooth, eager kiss
from his dry lips
the "Random Dog Night"
and the absurdity it inspired
the terror of physical ailments
in the best friend I have ever had
my mother
that eternal evening
sprawled on sidewalks
soaking up the spherical rain drops
the eighteen years it took me
to never blindly accept anything
looking out from a hill in the cemetary
praying for a way out
that night we went running in total darkness
just because we could
the delicious warm breeze
blowing my misplaced hair
ravenously
sitting here in this twin bed
dirty clothes on the floor
the unquenchable thirst for
my life to mean something
my pretentious self
eager to be the next Neruda
trying to fit somewhere
like an extra puzzle piece
that one can never find a home for.
---Inspired by Claribel AlegrÃa's "Accounting."
