I think you should know
she smiles in another language
like hibiscus
her spine is ornamental bamboo
hollowed out
filled to the brim with living water
Don’t spill a drop
You don’t get scars like hers by
reading the directions
or asking for forgiveness
Her anger is as silent as a Miami Lyft driver
She’ll fold her arms & lower her head
so she can look up at me & down at me
at the same damn time
Her superpower is
waiting in airports & riding on planes
for whole days
without the appearance
of having slept
on the floor or a bench
or not having slept at all
She’ll teach you that the distance
between comfort & safety
is as thin as the distance
between potential & promise
& that it takes two hands to catch a frog
the right way
I think you should know
I’ve never been skilled at putting how I feel into words
that haven’t had time to ferment into memory
like dandelion wine on the first day of summer
It’s cowardly & simpler to wait until
thoughts simmer for a few seasons
rather than tell someone
how you feel right now with a poem
It’s cowardly & simple to wait
until they are tired of listing or have gone away
Everything is easier when it’s already too late
I think you should know
I bring her flowers on Fridays
not for the alliteration
but because it makes her hibiscus blossom
& cost what it may
clabaza
mariposita
tienes mi corazon
