what happens when a body coils into itself
forgets the sensation of love
in touch

longs for a companion to hold

she breaks
not even the sea can hold her
she tries her best to remain still
as to not fall apart

He Mea Iki

Her hands fall to her sides
Fingertips once laced through long dark strands
Now free
Hair that makes the night question it's black
The stale scent of wine and cigarettes on her breath 
And yet
She is radiant

The other
Will press her lips together 
As if to beg the beautiful one closer
Neither move
One heart stutters with a howl to the moon
The clash of body's fantacies
Quiet

And the sun is gone
And there is a galaxy of space pushing through their silence
A calm static moving over skin

And the younger one is scared
And the other is still
And they don't belong
But her hair fell perfectly over slim shoulders
So what else could they do but shiver into each other

One is beautiful
The other is watching
And lust is a cold evening with a street drunk with rain
And desire is the collarbone calling her closer
And she is a leather bookmark that knows its place

And they still don't belong
But there is no one to tear them apart
So they are still
Just a pinch of the lips 
Pressed together
A twirl of hair between brown fingers
Two eyes, refuse to retreat
The quickest of kisses to the cheek 

Neither will admit what could have been
While one will wish for a second chance at courage 

from my fathers GUitar

I am not the kind to resist 
i follow the instructions of the hand
in moments
when word cannot be found
i must sing 
to fill the silence
attempt to hold this clean so cold it might crackle

They may not sign on key
but i will make the melody loud
so it will not fade
nor be forgotten
a part of it will stick to the back of your throat
so that every time memory of this moment arises you must hold back 

the mothers cries in the lap of her daughter
but i must not watch 
or wait
i must not give way
i must play
sing to fill the space god has made
my bronze turns bitter
i touch no one
i move before the tips of his fingers can find me
the song falls out like an old memory
we have been here before 
we will be here again
and my responsibility will remain the same
compose a melody thick enough to hold these cold bodies
that they may have the strength to continue

Day 6: Wade

wading into this water
wondering the safest place to set these words
no chances taken
not a chance of surpassing myself

why write then? when you might be afraid of your own word

why write if you arent willing to take the chance.

Day 5: Confetti

i can tell you what happens when a foundation cracks

there is a stutter

every pillar shakes with the weight it must recover

for a moment

you may marvel at the strength of the rest of the body

the family 

for holding the assembly together

allowing the structure to stand

for a moment

but nothing will halt the crumble

the clatter

the crushing realization

that the holding together is over

and when it finally falls

when you finally let go

there will be a crash

a shouting of sorts

the final dust of what once was will fall over you like confetti 

and then there is only silence

a stillness completely foreign

it is a quiet that only the shattered can hold

it is a weight you can only feel once it has been lifted

and then you are alone

and there is no longer a panic of falling or breaking

no

only the fear that you will never hold anything together

ever

again

Day 4: The lonely

iʻve tried to find a way to make this cancer crumble
surround myself with beautiful people
sometimes
i cant help but second guess this skin
this smile
cant tell if its mine or
maybe i just borrowed it from a beautiful woman
the one with the eyes that grip
maybe ill have to give it back once sheʻs left

the answer to that last line is yes.

never mind the space i find in the absence of her laugh
something about the moving away
the bodies in retreat
i cant escape

iʻve tried to find a way to make this quiet speak
but no
its only me
and a pen that refused to dance across the page

i think i've lost the ability to properly reflect

and so instead,
i panic.

all i have are expectations
and a million voices in my head saying,
"are you sure you can do this"

Day 3: Distance

its okay to say

that this silence fills the room like tear gas

cuz when you’re gone

i can feel every bit of your absence

like a song i've forgotten
the tune of

Day 2: Easy.

Look at you

Pulling the fast girl out of me

Like it’s easy

I see

My body

Tangled in the dark of your eyes

But its only me

And your smile

Mumblings promises we wont keep

Watch our silence

Cast a constellation between us
Wait for its departure to fill your body with static

Let me drown myself in the wonder

Feel the skyline of your quiet pass

Go to sleep just to wake

Wanting more.

Day 1: The Hiapo await her siblings

When I awake

I am cold at the center

Some of my edges cool from the chill of the pacific

I feel a stillness settling in the water

I wonder how long I might be alone

Until I feel a quake

Something has changed

I am no longer the only infant to this ocean

ʻAʻole

There is a sister

Her head turned away

I see only the bridge of her back

I cry out to her

Hoping to carry her name on my lips

Hoping to bridge this blue between us

She does not move

All at once i remember the calm

silence before her

how this silence is not the same

see her make it lonelier

another shake cracks at the base of my chest

he is long

his red edges bleeding into the sea

I worry for the dark ring around him

Wonder how our mother continues without notice

1, 2, 3, and then more are born

but they all stay silent

the ocean calms

and I am alone

learning the depth of pō

Jamaica Osorio