exsanguinate the azimuth
i'm sorry, the rune repeats as the crimson line floods
the razor sharp laceration draws and the bright red
contrasts against the baby soft hands, not yet been burned by the conflagration of creation
i'm sorry, the requiem repeats as the boundary mark continues to weep
a cascade that cataracts to the ridges on the palms that knew god's word better
like an israelite in the battle of jericho - crossing the river -
gravity —
turns the sink into a hell as the borders between skin and air, body and earth continue to diminish and relinquish the reins of their reign
the red borealis burns with the deep hue of Việt kiều* and i -
where am i, a sputnik to
the red of mars on my fingertips the red sea splits and passage is granted
the field of vision shrinks as a bloody mary is left staring at the mirror
the mold, the black mold, metastasizes in the background a testament to - the colors
of a panda soaked in vermillion liquid mercury
a flowing ambrosia of nước mắm* becomes imprinted in the cacophony of lonesome
as the red, aqueous luck of Tết* contradicts the disarray in the thin slit staring
at the echo of desolation like a deer caught in the headlights of mercy
as thin slits on face and hand dance in accompaniment with the effervescent precipitation -
the eye and the incision in a proxy war through the chambers in the chest
Thiên An Tran, TX, Early College High School
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*Vietnamese word for “Vietnamese people who have left Vietnam”
*Fish sauce
* Vietnamese New Year
