DARRIN GONZALES

UNTITLED

some men like burrs hooked
to my white socks the tile
is always wet our toes
curl in chorus wet lianas
of toe I am all ears stacked
alongside the coffee table
here, some men, dancing,
are chestnut seeds

we are brave (we do not
draw the curtains) we are
steely nosed knitting
together the sun and moon
into a cock ring it fits
like a glove like a black
moth wings outstretched
resting on the fruit basket
(my sixth banana)

(for MICHEL FOUCAULT)

as a form of repetition,
the dark room is resplendent
claustrophobia in the
open where all limbs
like lathes are pink
fresh twisting braids
here is power, a throbbing
lily white and infinitely
kind

the basement is a gash
offering some light but
to see is to allow the
wound a moment of
domination—we are not
hides to be tanned (lest
we consent) for one
moment our pain, thick
dark strand of licorice,
beneath the boot
tranquil and
satisfied

SEBASTIANE (1976)

a frog, syringe of frogs
and scent of chamomile
baby wipes reminds me
to lay my tender symbols
down before you ring
the doorbell

before I receive you we
are peacock feathers
beat into the cellophane
I garnish every wound
with peppercorn

our heels, eight bananas,
are grappling hooks
three dawns later our
jaws, cutlets, rotoscoped,
each rope is bent action

Sebastiane, every season's
trade is here proud
as an olive
branch

(for JOÃO PEDRO RODRIGUES)

what is in me, darling,
marimba a thinner nose
wide rimmed rimmed
widely a peach
and its stone

dedication to the craft
looks a lot like me bent
over on the couch one
man in the corner weaves
baskets the other pulls
an alphabet out of
himself

I am amongst ibis
spindly oil slicks
at some point my back
is candle smooth at
others a basin of
sharp stones

sometimes, circling
the drain is not
malaise, it is a means
of keeping time
steady

ODE TO G

you would make a
cautionary tale out of
me, nibbling on my
ninth banana, but I
am still pinging, hard
as grass is on the first
frost

we all lose a bit of
marble hands splayed
dick hydra I do not
know where to rest
my mouth the floor
is seaweed I am your
favorite fish—fuck!
yes!

Darrin Gonzales lives in Nebraska and composes ambient music under the artist moniker MUNRÖE.