by Cloud Delfina Cardona
i ask him who his favorite poet is
he says Robert Frost
he scratches Robert’s name next to his own
into the bar’s red oak counter. in my dream,
i knew he was dead & felt
the urgency to ask him everything,
but came up short. i woke up
& the dead’s artifacts evaporate into the silk
of the navy blue morning. today
i wear my most pachucofied clothes
khaki slacks & two-tone loafers.
if i had long hair, i would braid it back.
i woke up with the need to honor him,
a way of thanking him for his visit.
raúl, come back to me. talk to me
about line breaks, Resistencia, &
all your favorite poems—
______
Cloud Delfina Cardona (she/they) is an artist, writer, and book cover designer from San Antonio, Texas. She is the author of What Remains, winner of the 2020 Host Publications Chapbook Prize, and the past is a jean jacket (Hub City Press), winner of the Naomi Shihab Nye First Book of Poetry Award. Their poetry can be found in The Offing, Prairie Schooner, The Boiler, The Los Angeles Review, and more. She is the co-founder of Infrarrealista Review, a literary nonprofit that publishes Texan voices. Cardona currently works as an associate for Letras Latinas. She moonlights as DJ Mexistentialism.
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