Gray birds made of marble falling from the sky
Swamp oaks taking two steps forward, if you look closely
Levee water levels rising exactly by four feet
New bridges made of glass suddenly appear over urban canals
Storefront signages swapping places, making sense
Picnics two feet below sea level – in the thousands
Girls with brown eyes rolling boulders into pyramids of gold
Girls with blue eyes casting steel hooks onto silver gates
Girls with green eyes forming a field of grass to skip on
Red, chrome-out chopper cruising the streets, no rider
Purple sun painting twelve windows onto local birthing center
Hell, the word, the concept, scaring no children at this hour
Heaven, the word, the concept, wood cube in dank attic, rotting
Two-minute clip of brawny man battling an alligator in loop mode
One-minute clip of young boy twirling brawny man in loop mode
Sundown western breeze fanning ice tower evaporations
Blank stare of a statue on an iron barge seaward bound
Bats across a full moon portrait in a trash bin flaming
Canoe made of pure sugar gliding over asphalt streets at midnight
Thirty second clip of diamond-toothed baby in loop mode
Bayou bugs onto a fourth generation since yesterday morning
Yellow birds made of polyurethane come to a consensus
Fifteen second clip of upside-down city skyline
Justice, the word, vision, in an orange cloud, distending, glowing
Seven and a half second clip of pencil frolicking on white paper
Four-hundred-foot mound of multicolored masks and panties toppling
Deceased couple with brass canes crossing glass bridge at dawn
Traffic barricades napping again, if you take a glance
Rodrigo Toscano is a poet and dialogist based in New Orleans. He is the author of eleven books of poetry. His latest books are The Cut Point (Counterpath, 2023), The Charm & The Dread (Fence Books, 2022). His Collapsible Poetics Theater was a National Poetry Series selection. His poetry has appeared in over twenty anthologies, including Best American Poetry and Best American Experimental Poetry (BAX). Toscano has received a New York State Fellowship in Poetry. He won the Edwin Markham 2019 prize for poetry. rodrigotoscano.com @Toscano200
Hypertext Magazine and Studio (HMS) publishes original, brave, and striking narratives of historically marginalized, emerging, and established writers online and in print. HMS empowers Chicago-area adults by teaching writing workshops that spark curiosity, empower creative expression, and promote self-advocacy. By welcoming a diversity of voices and communities, HMS celebrates the transformative power of story and inclusion.
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