Bad Flower
- Bad Flower
What a bad flower I am Tsk, tsk, bad florecita
So many bad florecitas Blooming out in callejoncillos Blossoming in glittery jardines Blooming out in dusty fronteras Blossoming in frosty gran lagos Blooming out in cobalt homes
You did not blossom nor bloom for un macho You did not bloom nor blossom for un hombre
Tsk, tsk, bad bad florecita And I grinned Oh, yeah
My, my what a bad flower I am [End Page 51]
Verónica Reyes is a Chicana feminist jota poet from East LA, Califas. Her poems aim to give voice to all her communities: Chicanas/os, immigrants, and la jotería. Her accolades include AWP’s Intro-Journal Project, Astraea Lesbian Foundation Emerging Artist award, and selection as a finalist for the Andrés Montoya Poetry Award and the Lambda Literary Awards 2014. She has been awarded grants and fellowships at Vermont Studio Center, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Ragdale Foundation, and Montalvo Arts Center. Some of her work has appeared in Calyx, Feminist Studies, North American Review, ZYZZYZVA, and New York Quarterly. Proudly, her first poetry book, Chopper! Chopper! Poetry from Bordered Lives, was published in October 2013 by Arktoi Books.
