Birdsong with a Buried Promise, and: Logbook of Dreams

Birdsong with a Buried Promise

Tonight, as I toss        against the sheets        in a bed of static,        a quetzal hurls its green        body into my head& whispers the words        I'll one day speak        to        you—my head        a forest forgotten        in time, where water-falls soak        our younger        bodies—here, a long        & yellow sentence        I can only pronouncewith my dying        breath—words        wavering like a pool        the summer of your ninth year, longbefore I met you—        I'm here, on earth,        to tell you this        seconds before I die        but I'm not readyfor stillness        become dust, become        negative space,        so stay with me,        if you will—let's hanga hammock        from the tallest tree        & listen to the wild        & sacred birdsong        lets shed togetherour skin & hair,        our breath        & heartbeat, our unquiet        waters—stay with me, love,        until I'm ready                        to speak.

Logbook of Dreams

from a shelter for unaccompanied youth

G walks corridors, bathroom stalls, a labyrinth        of cubicles, the ceramic wet

with detergent, turns & turns        corners, clicks lightbulbs

on & off, feels ashamed to open        the plastic door to his relief.

X sees her grandmotherevery night: moonglow pressingthe folds in her neck. Why thenis her face always blurred

muscles & orchids	in the park:	O's leg
on another boy's leg	a waterfall	fizzing
in the distance	& so much sunlight	he realizes
he's only dreaming	he doesn't want	to wake up
on display to his	desire: his desire	a strange animal
crouching	under the skin	a wildness
for all	the other boys	to see

all S dreams is red & where she dreams is red        floors red beds plastic red

drawers a broken compass hidden in her belly red        string red stitch all this red un-

winding her secret heartbeat

black ink—deep ocean—small fishinside a collapsed lung—but D's talking in his sleep:

        Mamá—

Una cobija—

        Por favor—

Papá—

        Prende a la fogata—

Abue—

        Tengo frio—

—Dónde está mi hermana—