Author Archives: lara

Ginger

GingerAt the Palacio Municipal, you can pay out­stand­ing park­ing tick­etswith coun­ter­feit 20 dol­lar bill­sand frayed-edged lote­ria cards.I keep La Sirena for myselfand go out into the rain with only a paper umbrel­la to keep the ghosts out of my ears.They get in anyway.In the squarethe Independence Youth Orchestraplays waltzes for your wrist­watch that keep­stime backwards … 

Continue read­ing “Ginger”

Ode to the Rings of Saturn

Ode to the Rings of SaturnWhat could bemore per­fect­than a plan­et­cra­dled in the arms of its own rings?A giant bed­ded­down in the icyre­mains of itsonce beau­ti­ful spouse.Songless world­belt­ed with the­white track of a 30-year storm.Huge head halo’d­by twirling dust mote­sand the bod­iesof his children:O Rhea, O Mimas,O Titan,pockmarked beauty—outpost of man’s ambitions.Their shad­ows stride across … 

Continue read­ing “Ode to the Rings of Saturn”

spark notes — how not to read a poem

spark notes — how not to read a poemAll nar­ra­tive poems are con­fla­tion­sof the things that hap­pened to the poet­and sto­ries told by her moth­er­when the January nights got to be too much.Do not be mis­led by the line,the poet was drunk when she laid it down.Dogs find the clas­si­cal­ly rig­or­ous poet­ry of the early … 

Continue read­ing “spark notes — how not to read a poem”

I Was Once Persphone

I Was Once Persephonelast week I tore a page out of your book.tomorrow I will tape my own ver­se­to its ragged remnants.the rem­nants of your page I mean. it will be about a moon that spins slowlyand echoes our fugi­tive secrets.that one poem I can­not make work. oh Luna, oh Hyperion, oh Pluto — demoted.Published …

Continue read­ing “I Was Once Persphone”

Tina & Rico and Bernard & Theresa

Tina & Rico and Bernard & TheresaMama made the switch jump the trackchoo-chooshe said as she stuffed apple­sauce up the baby’s nose.Tina want­ed Ricowanted Rico so hard­she near­ly split­that water­mel­on boozed hardRico spli­tand Tina went away to Bernard.Bernard brave as a bear­fal­ters his father faceon the stair­case to Theresa’s room.Bernard will only saythat Theresa is … 

Continue read­ing “Tina & Rico and Bernard & Theresa”