qarrtsiluni

This poem was prompted by the photo Manifestación en Jinotepe
by Susan Meiselas

*

The Skull of Arlen Siu

The calavera of Arlen Siu
wants coffee.

Relieved of being pretty,
she laughs and laughs.

Revolutionaries march her face,
enbannered,

down the avenida. Who carries off
her clavicle, toes, and elbows?

That symphysis of shadesong
hinged in her pubis.

Volcanic birds, volcanic trees,
volcanic economy…

The calavera of Arlen Siu
wants fair-trade darkness.

Wants the universe to collapse back
to knuckle-bone size.

Underground, every pound of dirt’s prized
for its infinite beauty spots.

by Maria Melendez