Anthony Aguero
I Would’ve Done Anything
I would’ve done anything because it’s love, right?
I would’ve clipped my peaches in quarters and
fed them to the parrots hoping they’d mimic
their sweetness.
I would’ve sucked his dick because he asked
and because that is romance.
I would’ve stomped the ground, shoes and all,
just to recognize how my body rises against his
when anger is all that we have left.
I would’ve taken off his shirt and made it sensual.
I would’ve spoken into the fan’s spinning blades
in hopes it got my point across.
I would’ve bottomed and I’d declare it unforgettable but
I would’ve known the truth and let my shoulders
slouch. I’d call that love too.
I would’ve traced my index finger
along the crease of his crotch and he’d have gone crazy.
I would’ve put that same finger across my naval, then stomach,
and say This is where I’m empty.
I would’ve said Action and now we’re in a movie,
and I’m Drew Barrymore because isn’t that irresistible.
I would’ve bitten into the already bitten peach
hoping I could come across more sweeter;
more in place; more just right; more body ready and willing.
I would’ve read him some telling poetry.
I would’ve softened my edges.
I would’ve handed the knife over and said Aqui mismo,
but the power would have gone out and
I would’ve been reminded, again, of powerlessness.
I would’ve never allowed him to advance a few spaces.
I would’ve pointed to my chest and said Empty and Fill, but
I would’ve been allowed to not sexualize that for a moment.
I would’ve done anything but didn’t.
I would’ve flapped my wings and fluttered off.
I would’ve reminded myself over and over and over
that which I did not deserve.
I would’ve used absolutes sparsely, almost never.
I would’ve said My body, my body, my body.
I would’ve allowed my body to reject his hand
over my mouth. I would’ve done anything.
The Leaves in the Trees Are Looking a Lot Like Shadows
Someone says
Chemically-induced psychosis
Under a hush;
in a whisper; and suddenly,
I am vexed
because the leaves
in the tree
are looking a lot like
shadows.
Upon further inspection
It was just a man
with a blow-torch
staining glass
perched on a branch.
But a breeze
swept through,
briefly,
And gave shape
to a wheezing-siren.
I bawled and whimpered.
and pleaded
for it to stop.
It was like this
often of the time:
this becoming
and unbecoming
of small,
insignificant tragedies.
Another interruption
of the leaves
beckons me to peek
Closer
Closer
Look here
The minotaur
with starry-eyes
huffs the scent of my skin
and rejects
my loss
of sanity.
Then it’s a face
and a palace
an endless maze
and we’re in hell.
Then
I’m
drowning
And I’m spitting
myself from myself.
A gust of wind
blows through,
again,
and I am vexed.
A whisper,
an urgent hush
asking how to get off this tree.
Busting a Boyfriend Out of Glendale Adventist Hospital: Psych Unit
And this didn’t really happen,
of course,
But I imagined it
the entire hour I sat across
From him.
From him — stripped raw, languid,
his words scrawling across
the cold-surface of a table.
I leap across,
like a tiger to a dove,
and attempt to force
a living-river,
breathing and rushing
and lungs conflating
with the water we’ve provided
each other,
right into my arms —
what a fool I am.
The crook of his smile,
crescent moon,
in its effort to sway each vowel
escaping such wanting tongues —
One more sweet dance,
my love,
and I’ll have you out of here.
It is hard not to feel
the effect of his river
rushing
into my open mouth:
the sound of a conjoined thirst
not a soul can slake.
His water is in my arms,
and I’m a fool.
I am carrying,
or attempting to carry,
his dripping body
from outside this place
with only a frozen lake for a table.
But I’m a fool,
yes,
to think Savior.
Only the two of our bodies,
together,
can influence the dance
of the sea,
but I’m a fool
because I know,
I know
I’ll have to leave the roar of us.
alone.
Anthony Aguero
Anthony Aguero is a queer writer in Los Angeles, CA. His work has appeared, or will appear, in the Bangalore Review, 2River View, The Acentos Review, The Temz Review, Rhino Poetry, Cathexis Northwest Press, 14 Poems, Redivider Journal, and others.