Step Off Golden Rat Tail
By Elena Gomez
Published 1 January 2021
here a clumped heart &
welts soon for the softer plush—
our thickened carpet slug.
we are on a different level
we are slipping towards burnt
-out ground while you remain.
when amassed, the mesh holds &
me? i’m ready to draw supply
from this well we are gathered.
please come inside please witness here
a flushed wound
—oh.
become not a peaty substance
but new normal
before a purpose;
or spread with economy
under supervision
i’m ready for the insides of it
or you—the armour could be
protective, though— oh. sometimes
girls also look gentle but can bite
apply in the spring; think to dry
the tension here not between
what can/can’t but what will turn
winteri, now:
our dirt no longer couched
in narratives of a deep reserve