From the shimmering and strange summer in one of my favorite places.
slow load
raw consciousness crunching gravel
shifts my walk under the sun
cat curls the longest afternoon
burns my skin like fresh ink
when venus falls, i turn my face to it all
mammalian self dissolves
in streaming dustlight
my towel slips from still-wet arms
fabric of my dress bares me
his awkward fumbling
attempt not to stare
the heat of mid day like
algae in my stomach
a father says hello, ni hao – he blushes
here i am strange
to the world
and my self,
still.
jasmine hanley 