WITHOUT LANGUAGE
Without words,
books, and dictionaries,
the silent type might rule.
Without language,
there’d be no use for pens
and ink. Our tangled
nets would fill with fish
and their smell could not
be described. They would
not be fish. On cold nights
we would shiver and cough.
The rotting corpses would
not have names. Home
would be a place and there
would be no word for it. Sound
would fill our ears and
the sky would just be a thing
like the sunset would be something
without a name. Home would
be where we dream and like
everything it could not be
described. The wind would be
soothing like your soft kiss.
There would be no word for love
without language.
THE CRYING WOMAN
I heard the crying woman in the yard last night. She does not come around as often as before. I have never seen her. I only hear her cries. She is an apparition, a ghost. She only appears to some of the neighbors, who describe her as lean, with fair skin, and long hair. I hear she grew up around these parts. She died after she lost her husband in the first World War. She drowned in her bathtub leaving behind a small note. I am going to meet my soldier. She did not sign it. I cannot sleep a wink when I hear her cries. She makes me feel like crying too. It is so infectious. It sounds like she’s pouring out her soul to love long gone. I could not comfort her because I have troubles of my own.
HOMEMADE GRAVE
The invisible woman wept transparent tears.
She sealed her heart away.
She walled her heart and remained at home
inside her homemade grave.
In the airless room the disappeared woman
welcomed no strangers.
She preferred to be alone because she could
not be with her one true love.
The invisible woman believed heaven was
in her room and thought
she was blessed and completely dead
inside her homemade grave.
Luis was born in Mexico. He lives in Los Angeles County and works in the mental health field. His last chapbook, Digging A Grave, was published by
Kendra Steiner Editions. Alternating Current will publish his chapbook, Peering Into The Sun, and Poet's Democracy will publish his chapbook,
Songs For Oblivion.
