Reflections

Benjamin Rodriguez

as we bend to ‘the motions’, wound up on inner peace 

another me lies there, a puddle of a person 

    I stand around to watch the day change to night, 

    my eyes flashing silver, glaucoma of the mind, body, and soul 

our voice splits now and then, floundering tonality 

you could feel sink into your throat, 16 reminders 

    of the first time I had hands with someone 

    they got mad at me for being clammy 

15 reminders that you’ll never forget how your hands looked around her 

14 reminders that you got in trouble for wearing a flower crown and that’s why you hate roses 

13 reminders that your voice will never sound the same 

 

            I 

          am 

         stone 

      essential, bedrock, epitome 

    of being in the middle of fire, eating rocks 

even if they burn, had a cat named “Cole”, capitalized, 

 

my heart is beating on the sidewalk, sometime in the afternoon 

the sun kicked me down, stole my balance, and I erupted into  

          Myself. 

    I didn’t stop screaming for 3 days and 3 nights 

    I thought it would have brought me peace 

    in the evening, our last day 

    felt like it would never end, so I shut my eyes, 

    my heart, my body, my focus, my being in space 

    I see it all drifting away