February 15, 2022
The Hawk Moth Story I called ahead. “Caleb? I’m in the neighborhood. If you haven’t had lunch, I can drop off a calzone from Fastino’s.” The offer of food was an excuse to check on him, something my son well knew, but he tolerated the ruse. After a brief silence, he said, “Sure, Ma. ...
February 08, 2022
GATEKEEPER I’m riding with my father in his truck when he recounts a story— One night, cuándo estabas pequeñito, you asked me where your mother was. You couldn’t find her anywhere in the house. I couldn’t have told you then, of course— You wouldn’t have understood, but your mother was crossing back from México after visiting family for a few days. Technically, she wasn’t allowed to leave ...
February 01, 2022
Caged Hare From here the sky is a distant thing, whiteas the curtains, which move despite the lack of breeze,the way the tree tops used to bend,blending their tips like fingers, touchingone another like shy friends. I dreamI am dusted with the dry snowjust now featheringthe ground. From there I would see the steamof flakes dissolving as they meetthe sun-struck rocks. They release heatlike laughter. The surprise of ...
January 25, 2022
White Sands Most people wouldn’t think of southern New Mexico as a place a person might go to lean into their queerness. San Francisco or New York, Paris or Berlin, certainly, but an alabaster expanse of Southwestern desert that abuts a U.S. military missile range? Seems unlikely. Yet, drifting among the white sands of the arid New Mexican desert was exactly where I found ...