Drugs
Evergreen in Her Purse
She had pine
needles in her purse to take the edge off
Christmas. She held them for the memories
she didn’t own, but could pluck out of movies
like pine cones out of the snow to make ornaments —
decorated with bits of glitter, a bow
to represent a touch of hope. I would pull her close
and tell her she didn’t need the needles to feel something
as tangible as the snow on the ground. Fleeting
cold was meant to leave us
for the warmth of memories we could make on our own.
Georgia
Georgia stole the drugs in the glovebox
and traded them for passage. I don't
remember Texas. I barely remember
you.
The Cupcake is a Lie
There was a café at the end of the road
where the patio trickled onto the sidewalk
and umbrellas opened like snowdrop petals
allowing only splatters of sunlight to decorate the plates
placed in front of posied forks and clinking glasses.
At noon we sat with people sipping rosé
and nibbling the edges of pastries:
you with your cupcake, I with my
tart. Your mouth full of mischief, you spoke
with your hands to clear my head and
there was something like sweetness
on your fingers. Words sifted between your eyes and
a token of my innocence saw the sun
when icing stuck to your bottom lip.
I barely noticed the tremor in your fingers
when you raised your glass to toast the afternoon or
the acidic taste of the powder I wiped off your nose with my thumb.
Good Businessmen, Narcopoliticians, & Narcogenerals
Good Businessmen, Narcopoliticians, & Narcogenerals
Big business cartels
Criminals using money
For their good children
May Bala At Baril (In Filipino/Tagalog Language)
May Bala At Baril (In Filipino/Tagalog Language)
Droga ang laro
Ang kalakalan namin
Bawal ang baril—
May Bala, May Baril (In Filipino/Tagalog Language)
May Bala, May Baril (In Filipino/Tagalog Language)
Gusto rin nila
Ang pagdami ng droga
Magtatanong pa?
Hindi Digmaan Ang Droga (In Filipino/Tagalog Language)
Hindi Digmaan Ang Droga (In Filipino/Tagalog Language)
Gusto rin nila
Ang pagdami ng droga
Magtatanong pa?
—Droga At Ginto (In Filipino/Tagalog Language)
—Droga At Ginto (In Filipino/Tagalog Language)
Droga at ginto
Niyaya siyang sumama
Gusto rin kaya?
—Gusto Rin Nila (In Filipino/Tagalog Language)
—Gusto Rin Nila (In Filipino/Tagalog Language)
Gusto rin nila
Ang pagdami ng droga
Magtatanong pa?