I am as Lonely as Falling Drops of Rain
I am the poem that began at dawn.
One day all the sand of Abyssinia
sprouted from my eyes
and all the perfume in Paris originated
from my fingers. Another day
I saw the moon rise on a river
in the Far East, saw her drown herself
completely drunk on life.
I also remember that long night
when I wept the wrath of God
in the dying eyes of a sad alpaca.
And that other day when I opened
two hundred and eighty-three doors
looking for a letter that said:
We learned to challenge darkness
with more darkness.
I am that poem that began at dawn
but soon ended.
I Swear Upon all that is Holy
Kiss the other,
and let her settle
the sacred earth
of a frozen forest.
Then burn
your inner self
with the language
animals use
during intercourse.
The sincerest of words,
a response to desperation.
Sergio A. Ortiz is a gay Puerto Rican poet and the founding editor of Undertow Tanka Review. He is a two-time Pushcart nominee, a four-time Best of the Web nominee, and 2016 Best of the Net nominee. He won second place in the 2016 Ramón Ataz annual poetry competition, sponsored by Alaire Publishing House. He is currently working on his first full-length collection of poems, Elephant Graveyard.
Portage Magazine 