Ada Limón

I’d choose the moon, always the sister moon.

Cold, comely queen of the sky.

It’s been a long time

since I’ve wanted to die,

it makes me feel

like taking off

my skin suit

and seeing how

my light flies all

on its own

To me, it didn’t make sense
to trust a thing that could
destroy you so quickly,

Before, the only thing I was interested in was love, how it grips you, how it terrifies you, how it annihilates and resuscitates you. I didn’t know then that it wasn’t even love that I was interested in but my own suffering. I thought suffering kept things interesting. How funny that I called it love and the whole time it was pain.

but some days I can see the point

in growing something, even if

it’s just to say I cared enough.

We are the weeds.

I plant three seeds

As a spell.

My god,

I thought, my whole life I’ve been under her

raincoat thinking it was somehow a marvel

that I never got wet.

I say something

to myself that’s between a prayer and a curse—how dare we live

on this earth

THE VULTURE & THE BODY