TGIF By Rocío Iglesias

Let me tell you how the city feels to me

brimming with the nearly insuppressible urge to destroy something, anything

corralled by the well-trained, well-meaning voices of requisite optimism 

Pessimism in the face of genocide is not business casual 

They are not expecting me to be the furthest point from Them, 

A little garnish for the white DEI coordinator 

A little pin that says his pronouns, which are of no surprise to anyone,

but we're all so very thankful you started the trend

that was so brave of you

Let me tell you how the city feels to me

Laughter covering up a hive mind desire of capitulating to the dark thoughts

We're all committing to the bit, writing it in plain English but adding "lol" at the end,

so our parents don't get worried

so our friends don't think it's time to call someone on our behalf

I'd love to call someone on all our behalf

last time I did I got a response in my email saying I have misunderstood the situation

it is not extermination, it is conflict 

so I must be confused, try again

Let me tell you how the city feels to me

Wet and coruscated, bright and sentient 

Vibrating with the tender desperation of our sterility

and on a global scale our generosity for the human spirit is breaking 

There is only so much livestreamed death a person can take before the screws come loose

Before the dark fiber running through us all snaps too tightly in place

Before the constant clanking coming from the basement starts to climb the stairs 

I am so tired of pulling the covers over my own eyes so I can sleep at night

Rocío Iglesias is a queer Cuban-American poet. Her work has appeared in various print and electronic publications and can most recently be found in  O, Miami's Ventanitas collection and Better Homes and Dykes. She lives, breathes, and works in Minneapolis, MN.