Wild

i get off the bus with my head high

settled curls on my head label me as the shit

i threaten my roommates with prank calls

our surreal love stinks up the whole apartment

we laugh over a bowl of rice

the daily bread the lord provides as empty calories

i shower and sing with Beethoven

behind, i renege on my claim to not gorge on these exotic things

i am stuck home and dealing

the bastards upstairs are playing cards and yelling  gringo at intervals

after a long day, my mouth releases contracted Os

too tired of faking it, i only dive after unsaid words

there are some soiled laundries to do:

thousands of expletives for people asking me to speak louder

i rinse and dry my tongue, a daily night routine

a clean tongue communes directly with the heart

i say a frightening prayer and name my hell

she masquerades as a small town swallowing soldiers

i fall asleep only to see my neighbors

in a dream shooting—attacking this peace i cannot afford

there is no rest here

we’ve come shaped by the hardship at home

when i say beat me and then release me

fear the wild that has found home in me