Tori Ashley Matos’ “the village and their bohike”
the village and their bohike
call everyone and tell them
the party is off
but the pot is full of gandules—
cometelo.
pour tap water into a glass
bowl under the moon
to soak up the blood.
i am grown now and tonight
for the first time
my Grandmother told me:
No sabia.
Siempre, siempre lo supe.
El bebe de Jessica?
Si. Sabía que era una niña.
Le dije a su esposo
“¿Mi hijo? Te espera una sorpresa.”
she giggles
her eyes close.
Le dije a Sylvia
lo mismo.
“Eso no es una niña, mi hija.”
Pero este?
Son como la luna.
Nunca es una cosa por sí misma.
we talk into the night
about birth as performance.
que scene stealer,
she says.
my grandmother es un aquario
y nací bajo una luna de sangre
a mystery.
