Rane Arroyo
Days Instead of Eternity
María walks her community garden
of tomatoes and basil
looking for signs of angels
that have been feeding on
her generous reds and greens.
She says, slowly, shiningly,
“God, why bite my heart in two
when I’ve tomatoes to bite instead?”
She never gets a call back
and would die if if if
the heavens ever responded.
María goes home, showers,
watches dirt circle the drain,
a dissolving wedding ring.
She still isn’t freed of Earth.
____________________________________
Rane Arroyo’s fourth book of poetry is Home Movies Of Narcissus (University of Arizona Press). He has several new projects: a new completed manuscript of
poems, The Portable Famine, which won this year's John Ciardi Poetry Prize and will be published next year by BkMk Press. Rane also a long poem in progress about Roswell, New Mexico. His poems have been published around the world and on the internet.
