give and take

 

the rock and sway of the boat beneath my feet, i feel like i am stick in place,
a trunk to my lovely tree. the earth dances as i remain frozen; she dances
as if her feet were on fire. he chases tears down with barley leaves
and fermented herbs, he swallows even when his drink begins
to sour. salt and heat, we share what we bring out into the world.
i give life, you give me headaches, i give you love, you give
me heartaches. when we will meet? where does the sun
and moon dance-before an audience of stars. the glow
of her smile is blurry before noon; she tastes sweeter
when you don’t chase it with juice; i am absent
of pain now, i watch as they frolic and trip where
my ancestors bled and perished. we fuck on top of a gravesite. we fuck
where the world ended and misery began. we fuck where children
starve and women mourn, we fuck where boys flirt with tired eyes
and cry beneath the purple leaves of jacardanda trees.
will my skin determine whether i fly or float?
she is multi-colored, multi-flavored, she is a being of fire and ice,
a woman who must dance way past midnight. we give you life,
yet we blind you from the right path. when will my tears run dry
and my luck sprung from the ground like weeds?