By Suzi Garcia

Wrap me up in plastic,
Fill me up with lead. I will bend my arms—no—

My words backwards. Watch me
Dance parallel against red,

A pair of propelled lungs across
Chevrons. Let your mind reveal

Itself to itself, a bruise of blue and green.
It’s only been a single hour so

Dye your hair black
With forest berries. I will find

The roost, owls that watch
As you stumble.

What I do is classified,
But keep asking,

Try to unwind my hair from my thoughts.
Don’t look for all the answers at once.

My lips are stitched,
So you cannot hear.

Line me up like ants, hide me
In the weeds; this is the year

Of the watersnake. That leaves you,
A man selling your own shoes. I will sleep

Under dirt with half my heart on a chain. Dip
My head in pudding and oats, seal it

With a sugar glaze while I wait for you,
A diary under my nails.

*

Suzi F. Garcia is a poet in the MFA program at the University of Notre Dame, and the Tumblr Co-Editor for Canarium Books. First she takes it up, then she breaks it down. Suzi’s poetry has appeared inYalobusha Review, WORD RIOT, NAP LOG II, and The Pinch, among others. You can find her at: www.suzifgarcia.tumblr.com