23. Kenji Liu + Vicki Vertiz

We spend hours of lead with eyes out windows
and burn the freeways, all swervy and puffed
Thank you for not throwing me away because I have made a mistake
I'm an orange peel, a scallion, a resurrection of coyotes
invisible tricksters disarming school boy terrorists
and slashing the tires of their boom boom trucks
I would do anything to fix it. Dive into the hole, my cabrona two-way mirror
while tiny emergency checks go crawling to the bank
A reimbursement of labor, valued in reverse
Why haven't you worn a mask for me yet
The guayabas were not ripe enough. Yet all of me is blooming
and fuck 'em, I'm allowed to sit here and break
Is daydreaming contagious?
Can’t sleep, can’t wake, can’t shake