Some Poems I Wrote in the Aftermath of Los Angeles
Connecticut, 2003
Sunset
Waving goodbye to my friends down the street
Like the end of an episode of Pokémon
Not knowing
It was the last time
Los Angeles, 2023
In this desert city
This sea of cars
Human connection
Is a mirage
Cringing About Begging For a Hollywood Connection to Help Package a Movie Deal That Never Materialized
To [redacted]
When I think back to our last texts
I’m filled with shame
I was broke and desperate
I caved to pressure from
[redacted]
I dishonored our friendship
I I’m I I I
I’m sorry.
Palo Alto Youth
In the shadow of the tall tree
In the light of the screens
In the maze of the dreams
We live
Untitled
Pages and pages flapping in the wind
Unfolding from nowhere
Crowding out the desert air
I reach, but there’s too much to read
My mouth is stuffed with paper and ink
I rip out the page
And another swoops in to take its place
And another smacks across my eyes
And another and another seal my ears
Reeling back I claw at the words, at their crinkled emissaries
And topple into the sand
Soaked with blood
El Marino, 2023
On the last day of school
The kids laughed about mistakes on mistakes
As they built and rebuilt
Waterbottle boats with toy motors
Propellers misaligned
Sailing in circles amongst fallen leaves and
Traffic cones they’d thrown
In the deep puddle
On the slanted astroturf
After heavy rain