LETICIA WAS A LESS-DEAD GHOST
SERGIO ORTIZ
Larry’s heart rate was stable, but Leticia
could not open her eyes, he was struggling
to breath as the veladoras began to bunch up
on the sidewalk in front of the school. Leticia
suffered a stroke, veiled infinity opened.
Her body was zipped into a body-bag,
his donated organs took off on a helicopter
the day before Valentine’s Day.
I asked God for a different street, another leprosy
in a glass of wine. Everyone says goodbye
to the world as best they can. I prefer silence
so as not to embarrass myself for not facing
the eyes of so many who hate or love me.
When I start to die, God makes a lot of noise
and it wakes me up.
could not open her eyes, he was struggling
to breath as the veladoras began to bunch up
on the sidewalk in front of the school. Leticia
suffered a stroke, veiled infinity opened.
Her body was zipped into a body-bag,
his donated organs took off on a helicopter
the day before Valentine’s Day.
I asked God for a different street, another leprosy
in a glass of wine. Everyone says goodbye
to the world as best they can. I prefer silence
so as not to embarrass myself for not facing
the eyes of so many who hate or love me.
When I start to die, God makes a lot of noise
and it wakes me up.
SERGIO ORITZ 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 a 2016 Best of the Net nominee. He won second place in the 2016 Ramón Ataz Annual Poetry Competition sponsored by Alaire publishing house, and he is currently working on his first full length collection of poems, Elephant Graveyard.