LatinosUSA

when tested

behind the house
tall trees take it first
thin trunks, close together
leaves flashing
their pale sides

the wind
comes through the gap
between garages
pushes hard enough
to make the fence hum

some trees bend low
tops shaking faster
than their bases
a few branches scrape
each other
a dry clicking sound

one trunk splits
halfway up
not loud just a dull crack
and a limb drops
into the weeds
that never get cleared

others lean and hold
they don’t stop moving
just keep adjusting
roots lifting slightly
settling again

the smallest ones
whip back and forth
not deciding on a direction
a taller tree
loses bark in strips
exposing a lighter surface
underneath

when the wind eases
nothing lines up
the way it was
one tree stays tilted
another stands straighter
than before

the yard goes quiet
except for leaves
still turning
as if they haven’t heard
that it’s over

~~

bare spots

bare spots show first
in the morning
patches the color of dust
between green
that keeps going

the ground there
feels harder
water beads and runs off

a bag of seed
leans open
against
the side of the house
the label is sun-faded
corners curled

a rake drags
across the lawn
catching on old roots
most of the yard resists

seeds scatter unevenly
some land where it should
some on concrete
some too close together

a breeze lifts
a few grains
and moves them elsewhere
no one follows

the hose reaches
but barely
the spray
skips the far edge
leaving a line
where green stops

by evening
the yard looks the same
the bare spots
are still there
but the ground
has been tended
which is enough
for now

~~

at night

i fall asleep fast
the body gives up
like its been waiting
for permission

i don’t drift,
i drop

then a few hours pass
three, maybe four
no alarm
no noise
just the sudden fact
of being awake

it’s always early
the day hasn’t started
but my mind has

i don’t feel tired enough
to go back under

thoughts line up
nothing urgent
everything insistent
things
i forgot yesterday
things
i have to do today
things
that don’t belong
to any day
in particular

eventually
lying there
feels like a delay
i can’t afford

at some point
i start the day early
not because i want to
but because i’m already there

the coffee
the light
the small decisions

by the time morning
actually arrives
i’ve been awake for hours

already tired
already moving
already ahead of myself

and later
when night comes back around
i know what will happen

i’ll fall asleep easily
that part works