when words tumble earthworm / my mouth aspill /
loose soil / lost between open fingers /
i stutter along the writhe-recede /
delivered / unto dwelling /
only wanting to be known:
known / like recognition / of the wide-eyed creatures / uncoiled from my tongue /
unorthodox shapes / shaking eager and afraid
known / like there is accord among planets / spinning / in and outside the boundaries of
my body / a real / at flow / in spaces between you and me and / every / possible /
other
known / like a voice telling me / “it’s ok to feel trapped by the weight of every wrong /
crushed completely / by the sum of your mistakes / but that's not who you are /
no you're this small thing / look / saliva on the soles of its feet / face buried in
wildflower stems watching daylight pour through snail skin / how deep it wells /
you are boundless in that attention / and there I will join you"
that’s the carving / crave / when worms fall-
only a soft landing in a shared world
loose soil / lost between open fingers /
i stutter along the writhe-recede /
delivered / unto dwelling /
only wanting to be known:
known / like recognition / of the wide-eyed creatures / uncoiled from my tongue /
unorthodox shapes / shaking eager and afraid
known / like there is accord among planets / spinning / in and outside the boundaries of
my body / a real / at flow / in spaces between you and me and / every / possible /
other
known / like a voice telling me / “it’s ok to feel trapped by the weight of every wrong /
crushed completely / by the sum of your mistakes / but that's not who you are /
no you're this small thing / look / saliva on the soles of its feet / face buried in
wildflower stems watching daylight pour through snail skin / how deep it wells /
you are boundless in that attention / and there I will join you"
that’s the carving / crave / when worms fall-
only a soft landing in a shared world
Jason Baltazar is a proud Salvadoran American. He received his MFA from the University of Kansas, where he is currently pursuing a PhD focused on speculative fiction and postcolonial studies. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Boston Review, F(r)iction Magazine, Bourbon Penn, and other venues. For more info, please check out his website: www.jasonbaltazar.com.